Implausible Tales
by TheSadness
Summary: He disappeared years ago leaving his family behind to live their lives. Unknown to him, things were not all well and they were only getting worse. Unknown to them, he was doing what he does best, fighting for peace. Upon his return, he must finally adjust to the new world he's ushered in, but the past never stays buried.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Welcome all. If you read my previous story, then you were probably forewarned about this new tale of mine. As I stated back then, this is a completely original plot! Ah! These DO exist! Yeah, anyways, it's my own original storyline and it takes place before the Boruto movie, but nothing in it is the same. You'll understand as you read along.**

 **This story is already nearly completed, I've just been holding off on uploading for the purpose of actually working out the plot and fixing any kinks, but since I feel you guys have waited long enough, I will post the pilot chapter right now. I'm not sure when I will post the second chapter though. Guess I'll see what kind of support I receive. Any ways, enjoy…**

 **Disclaimer- I do not own Naruto or any of the characters. All I own is the plot. All rights belong to their respective owners.**

"Speech"  
Character thoughts explained through regular text **  
** _ **-Scene change-**_

 **Implausible Tales chapter 1**

A screeching alarm clock cracked the silence of the dark room. A slender pale hand reached out and shut it off gently. Sitting up in bed, her black hair cascaded down her back freely. Her pale pupil-less white eyes creaked open and adjusted to the darkness of her room. Hinata looked to the left side of her bed to see it empty as usual.

Sitting up on the edge, she took a few steadying breaths before getting to her feet, skillfully fighting through her exhaustion. She walked around the room collecting her hospital uniform before heading across the hall to the small bathroom. Shutting the door, she cut the light on and peered into a mirror so damaged that it was hard to see your own reflection in. With another sigh she stepped into the shower.

Letting the cold water she had become accustomed to wash over her body, she stared at the wall in front of her and the rusty pipe of the showerhead. A smile none existent on her face and tiredness leaking from her eyes, she remained that way, lost in thought for what she hoped would be forever. After mustering up the strength to properly clean herself, she stepped out and dried her weary body off.

Putting her clothes on, she was dressed in her white nurse's gown. Staring, again, into the damaged mirror in front of her, she put her hair up into a lazy bun, trying to open her eyes more so that she looked a bit livelier. When she finished her morning routine, she left the bathroom and headed back to her room to dump off her old clothes and grab her badges.

Now, ready to start her day, she walked out of her room and into the living room that was connected to the kitchen. She cleaned up whatever was strewn around the small ratty apartment on her way to the kitchen. Looking through her scarce fridge, she found a few things to throw a quick breakfast together. It took about five to ten minutes to prepare and when she finished, she sat the plate of food down on the small dining table that was technically in the living room. Instead of sitting down to eat it as one would expect, she walked back towards the hallway with the bedrooms and passed hers.

Opening the door next to hers with a bit of effort, she turned the light on. "Boruto." She called out as a mop of blonde hair shot up through a pile of blankets and pillows. "It's time to wake up." She said walking in and picking up the trash he had laying around. Boruto sat on the edge of his bed with a confused expression as if he didn't know what was going on. "Your breakfast is on the table. I have to get going. Make sure you're not late." She warned him walking towards the door.

Boruto remained there on his bed, listening for the sounds he was used to hearing in the morning. His mother shutting the door, then complete silence. Sighing dramatically, he walked to the living room and took a seat at the dining table. For a few seconds, he stared at the empty three seats in front of him, wondering what it would feel like to have them full sometime, like Sarada's family had. After a while, he began eating, staring around their crappy apartment to pass the time.

It was literally a box with two rooms and a bathroom. Sadly, it was all they could afford. Looking at the decoration around the room, he spotted a picture that he looked at every morning. It was of him, his mother, and his little sister, Himawari. She was lying in a hospital bed with a tube in her nose and a smile on her face none the less. Something the girl always had, despite any situation she was in.

That picture was taken three years ago, and she hasn't gotten any better since then. He sighed again before getting up and taking his plate to the kitchen. Dumping it in the sink, he made his way back to his room and grabbed his daily outfit which was a white shirt and blue shorts as well as his white undergarments. Rolling it all up in his towel, he headed for the bathroom.

Staring into the mirror, he examined his reflection. Blonde hair, blue eyes, and two whisker marks adorning each cheek. Oh yes, he was reminded by anyone old enough to remember him that he looked just like his father. A man he was sure he's never met in his life. Well, he had, he was just too young to remember. It's been seven years since his disappearance. Seven years since the 'hero of war' suddenly vanished. Boruto chuckled, shaking his head. "What a joke." He said lowly, removing his clothes and turning the shower on.

All his life, Boruto had been hearing about the amazing things his father has done. From anyone that was so 'blessed' to have met him he heard a story from. That's exactly what they were, stories. There's no way the deadbeat did anything like that. There was no way he beat a Biju when he was a Genin, or saved the village from a man that even beat Kakashi. They were all just a bunch of fake stories for a boy whose father was a no good bastard who left his mom with two kids by herself. Yeah, he was a bit more than mad.

Stepping into the shower, he thought more on it. It just didn't add up for him if it were thought about logically. If his dad really did all that stuff… then why were they so poor? Why wouldn't any of the people he was so 'close' with try and help them when they were four months behind on the rent? No one tried to help them while his mom worked double shifts just to pay for their ratty apartment and Himawari's hospital bill. If they were telling the truth about how great he was, then wouldn't they be more inclined to help them? It only made sense.

The conclusion he arrived at was as previously stated, they were a bunch of stories to convince him his father was an amazing man, to spare his feelings. One day when he was old enough, they'd reveal the real truth about the bastard to him. For now, they wanted him to believe he was someone worth something, for what reason? He had no idea.

His mother only made it worse as she constantly tried to convince him that he would be back one day. He loved her dearly, but he honestly felt as though she were completely delusional. If he wasn't dead and he's been gone for seven years, then there was no way he was coming back.

Word around the village is that she is crazy. Everywhere he goes, he can hear people whispering about her, asking why she doesn't just divorce his dad since that would pretty much solve all of their problems. If she were to divorce him, then they'd be members of the Hyuga clan and they'd get to live in the compound. As the richest clan in Konoha, they could easily pay for Himawari's medical bill! But, Hinata had absolute faith that her husband would return one day.

Finishing his shower, he stepped out and went back to the mirror as he dried the ice cold water droplets from his body. Life sucked for Boruto, especially with the friends he has. Not that they're bad, they just make him feel like such a loser. They make him feel so poor when he's around them while they play on their new game devices, wearing brand new clothes, and snacking on expensive candies he couldn't afford offering him anything left over.

His life in the academy was hell too because they were all so far ahead in everything. They're only first year students of course, so they don't do much more than book work, but still. He was the dead last in the class because he didn't have anyone at home to help him with his work like the others do. Shino-sensei would always try and help him as best he could through tutoring, but it wasn't much more than twenty minutes after class which he just couldn't learn anything in.

Then, when they had the stupid discussions about the latest war. Shino-sensei had a special event every other week where a student tells about their parents experience in the war and how they contributed if they did. Everyone had a cool story to tell except for him. All he could tell about was his mom's war stories. Despite always being told these farfetched stories from everyone, nobody would tell him what his father did during the war. Apparently at the request of his mother who wanted his father to tell him about that himself. Definitely delusional.

In his rambling, Boruto was dressed and ready for the day. He had on his white shirt, blue shorts, and his old worn out pair of blue sandals. With a sigh at the prospect of having to go to the academy, being reminded of how sucky his life was, he left the apartment, locking the door behind him.

* * *

 _ **-At the Hospital-**_

Walking up to the receptions desk which was positioned directly in front of the hospitals front entrance in a semi-circle design, Hinata rubbed the exhaustion from her eyes. A young brown haired woman wearing the same uniform saw her and waved aggressively towards her. "Hinata!" She called out. "You look terrible." She remarked.

Hinata chuckled through her nose and stepped up to the desk, signing her name on the check in sheet. "Good morning, Itsuo." She said softly. The girl handed Hinata a clip board with a few different papers on it.

"These are your rounds for the day. I got you most of the ones in the eastern wing." She said with a smile.

Hinata took the clipboard from her and looked through the pages. "Thank you so much." Hinata said sincerely to her before heading off to do her job. Itsuo just smiled back at her with a nod as she watched her walk off with a saddened expression.

Hinata began her task of walking by each room, poking her head in, and marking down any alarming results. Along the way, she greeted patients and other workers with as much gusto as she could muster, which was close to none.

She was so tired, so very, very tired. She has been doing this same routine for years now. This same mundane routine for five straight years. It ate up every waking minute she had throughout the day and most nights when the rotation schedules didn't work out. Every day, wake up and get dressed, make Boruto breakfast, go to work and take two shifts, come home, make dinner, get a few hours of sleep in, and start it all over again the next day.

She wanted help. God, did she want it, but she couldn't bring herself to ask for it anymore. When Naruto first disappeared all those years ago, all of their friends were willing to help her maintain the house they lived in as she was pregnant at the time and couldn't work. When she finally got back on her feet, she told the others that she would be fine with taking care of things from then on, even with two kids. Then, disaster struck when Himawari got unexplainably sick two years after her birth.

Chakra network failure was the best way Sakura could explain it to her. She told her it was as if her chakra refused to push through her system completely. The vibrant little girl Hinata was used to suddenly became equivalent to one of the cancer patients she witnessed throughout her days. The bill was so straining she had to sell their home and move to a cheaper place just to afford her treatments.

Of course she thought of divorcing Naruto. She thought of it many times, but something inside of her was telling her not to do it. Something was just screaming at her that he would be back one day. Naruto always came back… No matter how long he was gone… no matter what he was doing... he always came back.

She was forced to tell herself that like a practiced mantra every day of her life just to maintain that will power. In honesty, she had no idea if he would ever return. What she refused to do was lose hope, because she knew the moment you did, it was truly over. Naruto had a way with surprising people when they least expected it. Hopefully that didn't change and he would pop up some time soon. She needed it desperately and if it didn't happen this year, then she would give up on it and become a Hyuga again. It would pain her, but they were suffering because of his absence.

"Hinata." A voice called out to her. Turning around, it was Sakura walking towards her. "Hey. Back already?" she asked.

"o-Oh.. Yeah, I just got in." she said bashfully.

Sakura smiled at her sadly. "Well, if you happen to stay late, Boruto can have dinner with us and Sasuke will walk him home after."

"Thank you so much Sakura." She said in true appreciation before she walked off, intent on completing her tasks on time. Sakura watched her walk away with a simple shake of her head before she continued on as well.

Room after room, she did the same thing without slowing down. When she finished the first floor, she went for the second and did it all over again. Then, finishing that floor, she went to the floor she was desperately trying to make it to. She started immediately, working at the same pace the whole way until she made it to the last one. With a sigh, she used her forearm to wipe the small bead of sweat from her head before opening the door.

Inside the room, there was a nurse feeding Himawari her breakfast. Hearing the door open, she turned around and saw Hinata. "Ah, Hinata. Perhaps you'd like to take over." She said gathering her stuff and telling Himawari she would see her later. Hinata nodded gratefully at her as she left.

Walking over, she took a seat on the chair next to her. Looking down at her small frame trying to chew. Her seven year old frame was underdeveloped compared to others her age. Her eyes with that sickly look to them made her heart tighten. "Mama.." she said lowly with a shine in her orbs.

Hinata smiled down at her. "Hey Hima." She said caressing the side of her face. The little girl leaned into the touch as if it were the greatest thing ever.

"Where's.. Boruto.." she asked weakly.

"He's at the academy right now Hima.." Hinata replied getting a spoonful of the apple sauce in front of her. She carried it over to the little girl's mouth gently. Himawari slurped it from the spoon with a bit of effort. "How are you feeling today?" she asked, placing a hand onto her forehead gently.

"I.. feel a lot better she said." Hinata just looked at her with a disbelieving look. It was probably just a tactic to go home. "I really do." She assured her. "Like.. my tummy doesn't hurt anymore. And my legs aren't sore.."

Hinata was curious. "Are you sure?" she asked her in interest. Himawari nodded her head yeah.

"I'm getting better and better." She said with a quivering crack to her tone as she shakily made a fist to show her strength which Hinata chuckled at. "Mama? Can you.. t-tell me a story?" she asked suddenly.

Hinata smiled at her. "Which one would you like to hear?" she asked.

The little girl thought about it for a few seconds before her eyes lit up. "The princess, the knight, and the moon people." She said softly

Hinata nodded and looked at her blanket in thought. "…It all started with a scarf… a beautiful red scarf."

* * *

 _ **-At the academy-**_

Sitting in his seat next to Sarada, Boruto stared out the window, not paying attention to anything Shino-sensei was talking about. He was, as always, berating the stories he would hear from around the village. What got him back on this depressing subject was the agenda of today. Apparently father's day was coming up in three weeks and they had to write a letter to their fathers, asking them to come to school with them for the day. It was so stupid.

"Now class, we will be having a quiz first thing tomorrow morning." Shino said with finality. "You may have five minutes of free time before the end of class. I urge you to use it for studying." He said, but was promptly ignored with the proclamation of free time. The class erupted into groups of chatter and conversation. Everyone except Boruto, who was still staring out the window.

Sarada was the only one to notice. Chocho was trying to talk to her but she told her to hold on. She tapped the blonde boys shoulder getting his attention. "Boruto."

"What Sarada?" he said with a hint of irritation behind his words.

Any other day, she would have hit him for speaking to her in that tone of voice, but for now she understood. "I was going to ask you if you wanted my dad to be both of our guest."

Boruto looked at her, thinking it over for a second. "No, that's just lame." He said putting his head back down.

"Well then why not ask your grandpa or something?" she asked.

"Grandpa? He's too old, he probably wouldn't even make it out the house. Besides its father's day, not grandfather's day." He informed her as if she didn't know.

"Well, stop moping." She demanded. "You look like a baby." Boruto just waved his hand at her, telling her he didn't care. Sarada just pushed her glasses up with a grunt and went back to talking to Chocho.

Boruto remained in his same mopey state until Shino-sensei finally told them they could leave. They funneled out the door one by one, still finishing whatever conversations they had going on at the time. Boruto walked out next to Shikadai and Inojin. The two boys were having their own conversation as he just tagged along, joining in whenever they asked him something. They both noticed how out of character it seemed for him, but they ignored it, figuring it was the assignment.

Boruto stopped when his name was called out. It was Sarada, walking towards him. He sighed, figuring she was going to berate him for still moping. Instead she walked up and asked if he could walk with her. He agreed since he didn't really have much to do anyways. They walked to Sarada's house in virtual silence. Neither of them had much to say so they just continued walking.

When they finally arrived at her house, she asked him if he would like to come in, but he declined saying he had to get home. Before he could leave, Sakura appeared behind him, telling him he would be staying for dinner. With not much resistance, he agreed and soon, he and Sarada were sitting at the table going over the things he needed to know for tomorrow's quiz since he of course missed it. Sakura prepared dinner for the four of them, occasionally coming out and watching from the doorway with a smile.

Soon, Sasuke made it home and greeted the two before heading to the kitchen to help Sakura. While there, the two discussed the same thing they always ended up talking about when something involving Boruto or Hinata came up. They spoke about Naruto and how sad it was that Hinata still had faith he would be coming back.

After his disappearance, Sasuke had gone in search of him for three long and grueling years. He had searched every plausible location he could think of, even venturing the incredibly dangerous island of Uzushio. His blonde friend was nowhere to be seen.

Everyone at the time had their faith in Sasuke, and he had to return home with the news of his failure. When he explained that he could not find him, everyone else accepted the heart wrenching fact that Naruto Uzumaki was no more. But, Hinata seemed to momentarily lose her mind. Saying things like: 'we'll just have to wait for him to come back' or 'he's probably out there having an amazing adventure'. Never once had she lost a shred of hope. To her, this was Naruto and he always seemed to do the impossible. No matter what, he'd be back.

Sasuke wanted to believe that as well. He wanted to believe it more so than anyone, but when it's time to let go, it's time. It hurt him to do so, but he took Naruto's lessons and decided he would do his best to be a good father and husband. He was even planning on taking the position of Hokage from Kakashi in time when he was ready. It was an unspoken rule between the two of them. If Naruto wasn't there to protect the village, then Sasuke would be. That was just the way things were meant to be.

Finishing dinner, Sasuke and Sakura set the table for dinner while Boruto and Sarada put up their books. Soon, the four were all seated around the table, eating dinner and discussing various topics. They spoke mainly of kid friendly things such as what they learned in class, how Shino-sensei was, and who they wanted to be on their team in a few years. The family of Uchiha made sure to steer clear of the subject of Naruto, or fathers in general.

Boruto for the most part joined the conversation with gusto. Sasuke and Sakura were like his aunt and uncle. This wasn't the first time he's had dinner with them. If they asked him something, he'd answer, sometimes a bit more aggressively than Sarada preferred, and she made sure he knew that with a painful, but friendly, whack to the head. Sakura and Sasuke just laughed with a reason that was lost to the two of them. When dinner was said and done, he bid farewell to Sakura and Sarada as Sasuke prepared to walk him home.

They walked in virtual silence halfway through the trip until Boruto decided to voice the question resting in his mind. "Sasuke-sensei…" he called out. Sasuke looked down at him. He rarely called him sensei anymore. It was a title given to him when Boruto was younger and witnessed his training one day. He ran to him and demanded he train him. Sasuke of course didn't accept, but the name stuck so Boruto addressed him as such.

"What is it?" he asked, seeing his troubled expression.

Boruto's eyes were more focused on the ground a few feet in front of him. "y-… You were his best friend… right?"

Sasuke eyed him, realizing he was talking about Naruto. He turned his head straight and grunted in confirmation. "Yes, I was."

Boruto's gaze was still unshifting from that dark path of concrete in front of him. "Then… what was he like?" he asked. Sasuke was confused, everyone had told the boy stories of his father. He should know by now. Before he could voice it, Boruto continued. "What was he really like… I'm not a kid anymore… I don't need those stupid superhero stories."

Sasuke now understood. He didn't believe any of them. He chuckled as they walked up the stairs to their apartment. Before he could explain anything further to the boy, they stood down the hall, looking at Hinata who just… stared at her doorknob. She wasn't moving, wasn't trying to open the door, she was just standing there, staring at the knob.

"Mom?" Boruto called out cautiously, kicking her from whatever stupor she was in.

She jumped in urgency and turned to greet the two. "o-Oh, Bolt.. Sasuke." She said putting on a quick smile.

The two came walking up to her as she quickly tried to configure the broken lock on their door with a bit of effort. By the time they made it, she got it open. They were both giving her strange looks as they stood in front of her. "Are you ok, Mom?" Boruto asked her in worry.

She pursed her lips together and give him a very strained smile nodding to him. "Go get ready for bed." She said rubbing his hair as he ducked and entered the apartment. Sasuke's calculative look stared at her awaiting an explanation.

Feeling the eyes on her, she turned to him and cleared her throat. "Thank you so much, Sasuke." She said bowing to him. Sasuke accepted it with a bow of his own.

"Hinata, are you ok?" he asked her. She nodded far too quickly for it to have been believable. Her eyes showing desperation for his trust. Sasuke wasn't convinced of course, but decided he would more than likely bring the matter up to Sakura. He nodded curtly and turned his body slightly, indicating he was about to leave. "You have a goodnight Hinata." He said still looking at her curiously.

Hinata watched him leave with a smile that was slowly receding the further he got. When he was no longer in view, she exhaled slowly and entered the apartment, shutting the door behind her. She walked through the living room and passed the bathroom which she assumed Boruto was in and headed for her bedroom. When she entered, she made her way over to her bed and plopped down on the edge. She unraveled the paper in her hand to reveal an eviction notice.

Her eyes began to water slightly as her brain swam through things she could try and do. She could try and talk to the building's owner and request another extension. Maybe guilt trip him by using Naruto's name. She hated to do that, but when things were desperate, they were desperate. She heard the bathroom door open and quickly wiped her eyes. Standing up, she threw the paper in the drawer of the nightstand next to her bed.

Walking out of her room, she knocked on Boruto's door until she heard him call out 'come in'. Opening the door, he was already tucking his feet underneath his blankets. "Hey Bolt." She said walking over and sitting on the edge of his bed.

"Mom, you don't look well." Boruto said holding onto the edge of his blanket.

Hinata smiled at him. He was always so worried about everyone else. Just like his father. "Don't worry about me, ok?" she said with a smile. Boruto nodded slowly at her. Hinata's smile faded from her face however, which worried him even more. "Bolt…" she said getting his attention even though he was already looking at her. "Listen… I might have to go back to work." She said with a saddened expression.

He raised an eyebrow. Why was she telling him? She usually just goes... Unless. "Is it Himawari!?" he yelled urgently, jumping to a sitting position.

Hinata quickly calmed him down, explaining that she was fine. "She's ok. She's actually even better than before." She said.

"She's getting better?" he asked in contained excitement at the sliver of good news, laying back down.

Hinata nodded her head. "Yeah, actually the doctors say she is actually improving little by little almost every few hours." Hinata said with a broken smile filled with tears.

Boruto took that as the best news he heard all day and a beaming smile made it to his face, reminding Hinata so much of Naruto. Then, he remembered how this conversation began. "Wait.. if it's not Himawari, then why are you going back to work already?" he asked.

Hinata just rubbed his head. "I don't mean tonight, Boruto."

"What? You lose your badges again?" he asked sitting up yet again, figuring she was telling him so that he could help her find them. She shook her head again and he laid back down, truly not understanding what it was she was trying to say.

"It's not that kind of work…" she said, letting that ring. Now he understood. Slowly tears began welling up in his eyes. She couldn't possibly…

"You're going back to… being a ninja?"

Hinata could see the heartbreak in his eyes as he said it. She nodded her head slowly. Her own heart sank to her stomach as she watched his breathing become shorter and shorter and his face contorting in pure anguish and sadness. He sat up again and Hinata wrapped him in a tight hug, rubbing his back to hush his crying. "Bol-…" she couldn't even get her words out properly at this point. She could feel his little body convulsing against her shoulder and it broke her soul.

Boruto was crying his eyes out, yelling out muffled pleas for her to stay. He didn't want her to go out there. He couldn't lose this woman. All of his cries of 'I don't want you to go', or 'please mom' were seemingly ignored as she just continued rubbing his back and reassuring him. That wasn't what he wanted or needed right now. He didn't need to hear that she would be fine. He didn't need to hear that they needed the money. He didn't need any of that… he needed her.

Hinata somehow crawled into bed with him and eventually, he cried himself to sleep on his mother's stomach. She couldn't bring herself to move, so she wiped the tears from her face and fell asleep as well. Tomorrow, she would do her last shift at the hospital, pick up her check, and hopefully try to pay their landlord a little bit so that they could keep the apartment until she found a high paying mission. That was her plan of action and she just had to do it. She had to.

* * *

 _ **-Unknown location-**_

A black hooded figure trudged down a dirt path, slowly and menacingly. Every ominous step echoing in the night sky. His entire form was covered with the black cloak, hiding any identifying features on his body. He was hunched over and his steps were unorthodox and poorly taken, almost like a drunk, but his direction was undeterred. He marched, slowly yet steadily down the road he was on. One foot… after the other. Not daunted by the droplets of rain that began falling before him.

(Cliffhanger)


	2. Chapter 2

**Implausible Tales chapter 2**

Slow, painful steps marched rhythmically down a muddied path. A black cloaked figure stumbled steadily down the murky road. The figures build suggested it was a man. A trail of blood poured from his form mixing with the mud behind him, creating a black tar-like liquid. The wind and rain whipped his cloak around, exposing the bare chest beneath the cloak and most of the injuries on his frame.

Visibly, there was a gash going down the length of his back, his left leg seemed to be gruesomely mangled by the way he seemed to avoid shifting his weight that way as best he could. His right arm hung down limply from its socket. His left arm seemed functional though as it held a piece of cloth tightly against the side of his abdomen where most of the blood seemed to be flowing out.

Those were just the visual injuries that could be seen from a distance. By the incredibly excruciating way the man was moving, there had to be a lot more. Despite the ungodly wind, making his task of simply walking that much harder, the man's hood remained on. His head hung lowly to the ground as if it would be too painful to even raise his chin. His attire alone said he had been through one hell of a fight. His black cloak was covered in rips and fissures of all kinds. His black ANBU style pants were also covered in holes. His left pant leg completely torn off at the knee, leaving everything below bare, including his muddied foot as he was missing his left sandal.

Each step incited a near scream of agonizing pain. His breathing was heavy and choppy as he shivered from the freezing water. Every movement of his body was hurting him, but he seemed to be a man with a clear destination in mind, and nothing seemed to be able to stop him from getting there. Except for that rock he hadn't seen that tripped him up.

His body landed flat in the muddied ground beneath him, slathering him in the brown substance. He laid there in that mud for what felt like forever, trying to catch his breath or just hoping someone would walk by and find him. Figuring he wasn't planning on dying here, he used his left arm to push himself up to his knees. He sat there, steadying himself again for what felt like forever. When he found the strength, he pushed off of that left arm until he was sitting back on his heels.

In doing so, his head flew back as if he had absolutely no control over his neck at the moment. His hood flew off with the sudden motion, letting free his muddied face and hair. His face stared straight up into the sky and slowly but surely, the water cleansed his visage, starting from his forehead. The water traveled down the length of his face, washing the fresh slab of muck and grime that settled there, exposing… whisker marks? Three on each cheek.

Soon, the water ran through his thick hair enough to finally reveal a few streaks of very bright blonde. No doubt now, anyone that saw him would know for certain that this man was Naruto Uzumaki, the vanished war hero of seven years. His eyes were closed in pure exhaustion, but they very slowly began to creak open, displaying his bright blues. He sighed, looking up at the grey clouds in interest, flinching every time a raindrop came near his eyes. With a bit of effort, he pulled his chin down enough to see the road ahead.

He began to chuckle when he could see the very top of those bright and beautiful green gates! Of course, his chuckle was accented by a glob of blood that spit out with it. With a renewed vigor, the blonde hero struggled to his feet, falling twice before he was successful. He stood there hunched over with his right arm dangling nearly to his feet. With a grunt of extreme effort, he forced himself to stand. His blue eyes locked onto the top of that gate with pure determination, and he took off as fast as he could… which was about as fast as he had been going, maybe just a bit faster.

He leaned his body forward a little more trying to get a little jog going, but as soon as he did, he met the muddied floor again. Getting to his feet, he scratched that idea and just hobbled the rest of the way there, or almost there. Close to fifty yards away from the gate, he fell again. This time, there was absolutely no muscle in his body that agreed to move.

He could see the gate guards post from where he was laying. As he had once done in his younger years, he attempted to use his chin to pull himself the rest of the way, but the mud wouldn't allow it. In a last ditch effort, he tried to call out to someone over the rain, but his voice came out as a hollow raspy cry for help that he doubted they heard.

He could feel his vision beginning to blur as his eyes began to roll around in his head. Naruto called out lowly one last time that was so weak he barely heard it himself. His vision returned to him for half a second and he could see two figure hop the counter of the guard post and sprint his way. Faintly, before he succumbed to unconsciousness, he heard, "It's… It's Naru-!"

* * *

 _ **-Streets of Konoha-**_

Boruto was walking through the market district on his way to the academy, no way to protect himself from the rain beating down on him. The conversation with his mother still fresh on his mind. He didn't get a chance to see her this morning as she was gone by the time he was fully aware of where he was. He really didn't want her to go back into the field. There were plenty of reasons.

For starters, she hasn't been in active combat for years. She hasn't even trained since Himawari got sick. What would she do if she came face to face with someone she couldn't beat? She would die, and then he would have nobody here for him. No one there for Himawari… That was a big reason as well. If his mother went back to the shinobi life, then who would be there for Himawari? Who was gonna be there if she… didn't make it. Who would tell him?

It was a very painful thing to think about, but when you've dealt with someone who's been in a hospital for that long, it was just something you had to be prepared for. It crossed his mind every second of every day. One night he could be woken up by his mother in tears, telling him his little sister didn't make it. God, it was hell. But, his mother said she was getting better, which is actually very surprising.

When Himawari was a baby, she was perfectly healthy. She was just like any other child. It wasn't until she turned two did she come down with this unexplainable condition. Not his aunt Sakura, or that old lady Tsunade who was alive at the time, could tell what was wrong with her. But, now all of a sudden she was getting better? It was unbelievable.

"Boruto!" yelled a familiar voice from the distance. He stopped and turned around to see Sarada jogging his way. "Didn't you hear me calling you? You idiot." She berated, bonking his head when she caught up.

Boruto just laughed and rubbed the bump beginning to form. "Sorry, Sarada. I was thinking…" he said, still as unusually quiet as he's been these past few days. She gave him a weird side glance before turning back towards the path.

"Uhuh… so, you ready for the quiz?" she asked him. Boruto's steps faltered momentarily. "You forgot didn't you." She stated in a knowing tone.

"No!" he said scratching the back of his head with an unconvincing smile. "I just don't want to fail this time! I'm nervous, ya know!" he said.

Sarada gave him a knowing smirk with a sarcastic 'mhm' in reply. She knew the blonde knucklehead all too well. It was in his nature to forget things like that. She looked over at him to see his expression shift back into that saddened expression of his. She's known him since they were little so it was a very unfitting look for the blonde. He was usually always smiling like an idiot most of the time, so this was unsettling. "Are you ok?" she asked him.

He nearly jumped hearing her voice. "o-Oh, yeah!" he said putting on that big cheeky smile of his. "Yeah I'm fine! Jus-… really trying to focus for this test is all." He drawled off.

Sarada of course knew he was lying but figured he didn't want to talk about whatever it was. So, she didn't push. Instead, she played along. "Look, don't worry about it. It's just a simple quiz. Five to ten questions tops. We covered everything yesterday, so just remember what I taught you."

He nodded his head. "…Yeah bu-…" his reply was stopped as some kind of commotion up ahead was splitting the crowd.

He and Sarada followed everyone else and stepped off to the side as an unusual sight came running through. Two gate guards were hauling a very injured looking man through the mud. His hood was up, but his cloak was being kicked up in their strides, giving everyone a very gruesome sight. Sarada winced as she watched him go by. Boruto on the other hand hadn't noticed. He was trying to get a look at the man's face, but he wasn't able to see much more than his chin.

When he passed, the crowd began to reform up ahead with a few people looking back at the sight, including Boruto. "Did you see that guy?" Sarada asked him rhetorically. "I wonder what happened." She said.

Boruto was still looking back until he could no longer see them. "…yeah…" he said lowly and turned to continue walking.

Sarada sighed. "Guess my mom is working late tonight." She remarked, thinking Boruto was listening. Instead, he was looking back in the direction that guy was running in curiosity. Eventually, he fell out of his stupor and the two continued their walk to the academy uninterrupted.

* * *

 _ **-At the Hospital-**_

Signing her name in like she always did, Hinata made small chat with Itsuo. "So." The brown haired receptionist said getting her attention. "How is little Hima doing?"

Hinata smiled for once at that question. "I'm not sure yet. She was doing better yesterday." She said somewhat happily. "Her doctor says she was getting better by the hour."

"Yay!" the girl said happily. "I am so happy for you!"

Hinata smiled at how excitable the sweet girl was. "Thank you." She said as they hugged from over the counter. "Hopefully she's even better today."

Itsuo handed her the clipboard with her rounds on it again. "Fingers crossed." She said holding up her hand to show it. Hinata smiled at her and nodded before leaving to do her job. Itsuo smiled as she watched her walk away. She was glad to see something finally going her way.

She watched her until she saw her pass the ER hall and head down the civilian treatment floor which is where she was assigned. When she could no longer see her, she picked her pen up and was a hair away from putting it to the form in front of her when hell broke loose and the two gate guards hauled in a very badly beaten man. "Oh my god!" she yelled.

"Get Doctor Haruno!" One of them said, rushing him straight towards the ER hall.

"o-Oh, ok!" Itsuo said in a panic hopping over her counter.

"And the Hokage!" the other one shouted out over his shoulder. Itsuo didn't question a thing. She ran down the halls of the hospital to do what she was told to do. She ran down the pregnancy wing in which she knew for sure Sakura had gone. She burst into the room with the most commotion and saw the pinkette at the receiving end of a child birth.

"Itsuo!" Sakura demanded, trying to stay focused and calm the patient down at the same time. "Whatever it is, it can wait!" she yelled out.

"No ma'am, I don't think it can!" Itsuo said urgently. Sakura looked over at her and noticed the panicked look in her eyes. She was never this serious which meant she must have seen something horrifying. Acting quickly, Sakura apologized to the patient and her husband at her bedside and handed the operation off to a doctor who was passing by outside.

Washing her hands as quickly as possible, she followed Itsuo down the hallway in a slow jog, asking her what happened. Itsuo's explanation came out as complete gibberish, but she got the gist of it. Someone was hurt, incredibly bad. When they made it back to the reception area, Sakura knew she made the right call when she saw the trail of mud, water, and blood leading down the hall of the ER, something she hasn't seen since the war. Acting quickly, she took off.

Itsuo left out the front of the building to fulfill the other task of getting the Hokage, for what reason? She had no idea, but there was no time for questions.

Sakura, ran as fast as she could in the heels she had on and had to push some of the surrounding nurses out of the way as they stood there blocking the door like they saw something amazing. "What the hell are you doing!?" she yelled at them. "This is no time fo-…" her breath caught in her throat when she finally got a look at what they were staring amazed at.

Laying on the operating table, in the dirtied, soaking flesh… was Naruto Uzumaki. "Na-…" she tried to get out stepping a little closer. When she was at his side, she rubbed his whiskered cheek just to check to see if he was real. With her shock dying down, she went full force into her doctor's mode, barking out orders to the stunned staff of nurses, demanding they prep the room for immediate surgery.

* * *

 _ **-Civilian patient wing-**_

Hinata was filling out yet another form, signing her name on the designated line and shoving it back into the basket next to the door. It was a strange feeling to be going to work for your last time. She just wondered what she was going to do at this point. Who would take care of Boruto when she had extended missions? She could possibly ask her father and Hanabi, but they had done so much for them already, she didn't want to seem so helpless.

Plus, there was a bit of conflict between her and her father when she told him she wouldn't divorce Naruto. In a way, Hiashi seemed to fall back into that disappointment he felt for the girl in her younger years. In his mind, she chose an unfaithful husband, as he believed that there was absolutely no one in the world who would be able to take Naruto that quietly. The only explanation was that he ran.

If it came to it, Hinata would have to humble herself before her father and accept whatever berating she received in order to get them to house Boruto. Hanabi would do it in a heartbeat, but her father was still the technical clan head since Hanabi wasn't old enough. If anything, she was sure Sakura and Sasuke would do it.

She stopped writing on the form in her hands when she thought she heard a distant echo of her call. It sounded incredibly urgent. When she heard nothing but silence for a few seconds, she figured it was just a figment of her imagination and went back to writing. Again, this time much more clear.

Someone was calling her. She listened for it again and heard it from down the hall where she had come. "Hinata!" At that, one of the nurses came bursting from around the corner completely out of breath. Hinata was already jogging her way, figuring her services were needed.

"What happened?" she asked, hoping it was nothing serious. The girl was too tired to even speak as they ran down the hall, she just hyperventilated and pointed further down the hall where she had come. Hinata grew nervous but continued running regardless. When they made it back to the front of the hospital room, she was shocked by the amount of murky liquid covering the floor leading to the ER. She was almost sure that's where they were going until the girl, instead, passed that hall and ran down the chakra treatment hall.

In curiosity, Hinata looked down the ER hall to see a very strange sight. It was Kakashi running down the hall towards the room crowded with curious spectators. She was interested, but grew worried when the doctor turned down the chakra treatment hall. The hall Himawari was in.

Now fairly sure she knew the emergency, she took off passing the nurse up in a dead sprint. Fear encasing her heart completely. What could've happened? She was doing so well. Maybe she had a bad episode or something, or maybe she was just… gone… God, please don't let that be it.

Making it up the two flights of stairs and to her room, Hinata halted with her hand on the knob. She stared at the wood, contemplating if she were ready to see what was behind that door… Even if she wasn't dead, Hinata couldn't fathom the idea of her getting worse. She couldn't handle that. Mustering up the strength she had left, she opened the door to a sight she truly wasn't prepared to see.

"Mommy!" yelled Himawari as she jumped up and down on the bed. She took a few prep jumps before she hopped to her butt on the edge of the bed and bounced off. Charging, she threw her head into Hinata's abdomen.

Hinata was completely speechless. She had to be dreaming. Did Himawari really just jump on the bed? Did she really just run up to her? Last week she couldn't even walk! Cautiously, she activated her Byakugan and looked through the little girl's chakra system. It was flowing so naturally. So normally. "Himawari… how…" she whispered aloud staring at her body in confusion as she bounced up and down.

"Mommy! I'm all better now!" she yelled out striking a pose. "Does that mean I can go home?"

Hinata couldn't find any words to say at the moment. It was unbelievable. "Himawari." Said the nurse that finally caught up with her. "Let's get you some lunch first ok?" she asked. Himawari nodded with a smile and took the nurses hand as they walked out into the hall, leaving Hinata as stunned as ever kneeling in that spot. She was stunned because of her daughter yeah, but…

"Mommy? You coming?" Himawari asked from the doorway. Hinata stood up, her Byakugan still activated, and she was staring at the wall. Her heart was racing faster than it ever has. Without another word to the two of them, she scooted passed them out the door and ran.

* * *

 _ **-ER room-**_

Kakashi was standing off to the side watching Sakura work diligently on Naruto's injuries. He was in worse shape than Kakashi has ever seen him, injury wise of course. His body however had to be the best example of male physical fitness he had ever seen. Kakashi never would have guessed the boy would change his eating habits, regardless of where he was.

Slashes and bruises covered most of his form. Cutting his pants off, he had bones protruding from his left leg. It was a gruesome sight to see. Sakura was clearly getting very frustrated as her staff ran around like they were confused. Kakashi took some initiative and began assisting in directing them about.

When the flow of everything returned to professionality, Kakashi stared at his long lost student. He watched him convulse in pain every few seconds. "Oh my…" Sakura said drawing his attention.

Kakashi walked over to the other side of Naruto's bedside. "What is it?" He asked her.

"His… his bones are so... dense…" she said as he watched her try and snap one of his bones back in place. She was putting a lot of effort into it. Sakura Haruno.. was putting so much effort into it. A woman who could literally change the landscape with a flick of her finger was struggling immensely. "It won't… it won't go in." she said wiping her sweat on a towel off to the side.

"…What do you mean?" he asked.

"His bone won't..." she said trying once more with a grunt of effort. "Won't snap in!" she yelled using all of her strength, finally snapping it back in. Exhaling the breath she held, "Ugh, never mind."

Kakashi looked at the injuries strangely, and he wondered something. "Why isn't he healing?" he asked her.

Sakura just shook her head. "I uh… I don't know… his seal is still there though so…" she said looking down at it. Kakashi nodded and assisted in the smaller injuries he could handle or simply supplying chakra for Sakura. They worked in silence for a few seconds until the door was nearly busted off its hinges.

Hinata burst in with one of the guards adamantly trying to hold her back. She simply shoved passed him and began yelling out pleas to let her in. Sakura was working diligently on removing his transplanted arm, which was hanging down within the skin of his arm like a mushy piece of sausage, and prepping another to take its place. The commotion of Hinata trying to get in was distracting her. With a frustrated sigh she stopped and walked over to the dark haired girl.

Hinata was still trying to claw her way over to Naruto until Sakura stepped in front of her. "Hinata! Hina-! Mrrgh.." she growled, "Hinata!" she yelled, trying to get her attention. "Hinata! Listen to me!" she yelled shaking her. "I cannot work with you in here! If you want me to save his life, then _get out_." She said accenting those last two words. Hinata's eyes just looked passed her.

She could see Naruto's face knotted in pain. She wanted to plead her case to let her stay, but Kakashi came over and escorted her out. Sakura breathed a sigh of relief and got back to work.

* * *

 _ **-Market district-**_ _four hours later_

Boruto and Shikadai were sitting at a booth in their favorite burger shop. They had just gotten out of the academy and he said he would buy Boruto something. Shikadai was complaining about how much his mom nagged on a daily basis.

"I'm telling you." He said chewing his burger. "She just lives to complain, and when she can't find something to complain about, she will literally make something out of nothing."

Boruto took a bite of his burger. "Really?" he asked. "Your mom seemed nice when I met her."

Shikadai nodded. "Yeah, well. She's not always bad." He said taking another bite. "What's your mom like? I've never met her."

Boruto shrugged. "She's just kind of… busy I guess… Always tired."

Shikadai nodded at that. "Man, I couldn't imagine. My mom is just usually always at home."

"Yeah it's completely different at my place… usually I'm the only one there." Boruto replied, staring at his cup. Now they were treading in some very dangerous territory. Shikadai should have kept family out of it completely. Somehow they ended up here.

He was at a loss of words at this point. He wasn't sure what to say. "Yeah uh… well. Take it from me that seems like it'd be fun."

Boruto chuckled and drank the rest of his soda. When he finished, he slid out the booth. "Hey, thanks Shikadai." He said gathering the trash from the table. "I've got to go see my sister."

"Ok, later Boruto." He said pulling out his game.

* * *

 _ **-At the Hospital-**_

Boruto walked into the lobby and noticed how empty the place seemed. His mom's friend Itsuo wasn't even at the desk like she usually was. He headed towards the hall he knew to be where Himawari was. On the way he nearly passed by the ER hall, but stopped momentarily when he saw that the room at the end of the hall was crowded with people. Curious, but not enough to go investigate, he continued on his way.

Of course he had a hunch it was the man from this morning. It had to be, who else was coming into the hospital that banged up? On his way to his sister's room, he actually thought back to the guy. He couldn't see much, but under his cloak, he could clearly see the man was completely ripped. Meaning he had to be a shinobi. He couldn't see a headband, which is what he was looking for, but no one gets that fit as a simple civilian, hell, neither do most shinobi.

His visible injuries looked very painful even from a distance. Boruto doubted the man would even live. It would be a story to hear of how he got those injuries if he did though. Better than those stupid super hero stories.

"Boruto!" Yelled Himawari rushing into her brother's stomach, shocking him to the core.

He stopped for a whole second. Was… Himawari running?... And yelling!? He quickly pulled her off of him and kneeled in front of her. "Himawari!" he yelled with a quickly growing smile. "You're ok!" he yelled pulling her to his chest again. Himawari chuckled and wrapped his head up with a smile.

"Ugh, Boruto! You're crushing me." She said in a false struggle, falling limp in his arms. He quickly loosened his grip, thinking he really hurt her.

"Oh no. Hima.. i-I'm.." he said looking at her.

She straightened up and began laughing as she ran back into her room, jumping into her hospital bed. Boruto followed her in, intent on catching her until he saw his mom asleep on the chair. "Mom?" he called out to her, but she just wiggled in her seat a little and fell back to sleep.

"Mommy has been here all day." Himawari said, hopping to readjust her positioning on her bed, gesturing for him to sit with her. Boruto raised an eyebrow towards his sleeping mother. He figured she'd be working at this point. Crawling into Himawari's bed, he sat next to her as she pulled a sketching pad from the basket on the side. Crudely drawn in crayon was a picture of all of them. A picture of their family she had drawn a while back.

Boruto watched as she began to draw another figure. "What are you doing?" he asked her curiously.

"I'm adding daddy to the picture." She said as if it were obvious.

Boruto held back a sigh. He tried to explain this to her every time she brought it up. "Hima… we don't… Dad's not coming back." He said simply, deciding not to sugar coat it anymore.

"I know Boru." She said in a deadpan look. "He's already here."

Boruto looked at her, figuring she didn't understand. "n-.. No Hima. He's not here. And he'll never be here." He explained.

"He is here Boruto." She said.

Boruto shook his head. "No Hima-.."

"Mommy told me!" she yelled out cutting him off. Boruto looked at Himawari then over to his mother who was still asleep. He didn't know what to say at this point. "She said we can't see him yet, because he's hurt really badly." She said.

Boruto's heart stopped at that. It… couldn't be… He stared at the door. His mind traveled back to that man he saw in the street. The bloodied man who was hurt… 'really badly'. It couldn't possibly be. He looked back over to Hinata who was still asleep. "Hey… Hima… come with me for a second." He said getting out of the bed.

"Ok." She quipped, crawling out of the bed. Boruto grabbed her hand and walked her out of the room and down the elevator back to the first floor. He walked down the hallway and stopped when they got to the end, hearing someone coming. He could recognize the voice as his aunt Sakura. He whispered to Himawari really quickly to not say anything and she nodded. They backed against the wall and waited for her and whoever she was talking with to leave. When they were gone, Boruto tugged her along, down the hall of the ER.

Quickly, as to not get caught, the two followed the faint trail of dirt along the ground. When they made it to their destination, Boruto looked down the hall once more before creaking the door open. He ushered Himawari inside first before stepping in himself and shutting the door.

Himawari was looking at the man on the bed. He was covered in bandages on most of his body parts including both legs, his right arm, around his entire torso, and around his head. Regardless of all of that, there was absolutely no mistaking. "He looks like you Boru…" Himawari pointed out, mainly looking at the whisker marks on his cheeks.

Boruto was absolutely speechless at this point. What could he say? He was in the face of his father. There was no mistaking it. Should he feel joy? Anger? What would be a correct emotion to have? Confusion is what he was feeling at this point. Where had he been to get injuries like this? What was he doing? Was he on some kind of mission? God, there were so many questions and he had half a mind to wake him up and get the answers.

In his rage filled thoughts, he didn't notice Himawari already at his bedside. "Hima!" he whispered harshly. She put her hand on his cheek and felt a shiver run down her spine.

Boruto walked over to her and pulled her hand away before she woke him up. "Boru… he feels… so good." She said rubbing his cheek again. Boruto just watched her rub his cheek. They both jumped back in fear when his body jerked to life and his eyes shot open. His body began convulsing and he looked around in a panic.

Before the two could kick their shock of the situation, their aunt Sakura and uncle Sasuke burst into the room, demanding to know what they were doing in there. Sasuke passed the two and ran over to Naruto and calmed him down. Naruto looked around desperately until his eyes locked onto a pair of blues much like his own. And a tuft of blonde as bright as his.

As Sakura ushered the two out of the room, Boruto looked back at the man struggling on the table through the gap between Sakura pushing him out and the door. He could see nothing but a bandaged hand reaching out at him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Implausible Tales chapter 3**

 _Laying within some kind of murky water, Naruto stared up into a void of empty blackness. He had been here for a while. Stuck in his mindscape, no one to speak with. It had been days, he knew it has. All he had to do was wait on Kurama to finally wake up, but he was growing impatient. Their last battle had drained the both of them completely. His entire body hurt to an extreme degree._

 _With no Kurama to heal him, the journey home was the most painful experience of the whole ordeal, well sort of. Having enough of this pointless waiting around, he stood up out of the murky water and walked further into the darkness of his mind. Eventually, he came upon a tuft of bright orange fur. The water around him quaked with each deep growl like snore from the creature laying down on its side._

" _Kurama." Naruto said climbing up on his head. "Come on, wake up. I need to be healed… we're home."_

 _Kurama just remained in his spot, snoring away._

" _Kurama… I know you're not asleep… You don't even snore." He said._

" _ **Yes I do…"**_ _The fox replied, mixing that statement into his pattern of fictitious snoring._

 _Naruto just shook his head. "Will you just give me some chakra already?" he said with a sigh. The foxes head raised up._

" _ **Ugh, fine. You were fun when you were stupid."**_ _He grumbled, putting his fist out. Naruto shrugged and jumped back down to the water in front of him. He stuck his fist out and pounded it against Kurama's._

* * *

 _ **-Outside Mindscape-**_

Leaning against the wall, Sasuke smirked seeing the sudden burst of yellow chakra envelop the blonde. It brought back many memories. "Finally." He muttered walking over to stand next to him. Naruto's body seemed to mend itself almost instantly with bones Sakura hadn't had the chance, or strength, to fix popping back into place themselves. Internal injuries that were left for today mending on their own, and the bandaged, previously stitched, external injuries mending themselves as well.

This was the sight Sakura walked in on with fresh bandages in her arms. Seeing all of his injuries repairing themselves, she rolled her eyes "Ah, of course the idiot would start to heal as soon as I go for more supplies." She said discarding the various medical equipment off to the side. Standing next to Sasuke she looped her arm inside his one good elbow. "What are you thinking?" she asked him.

Sasuke looked at her and smiled. "What do you mean?" he asked. "My best friend is back." He said simply.

Sakura smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Guess we all owe Hinata an apology huh?" She asked with a chuckle.

Sasuke grunted. "Hn… I suppose so…"

Slowly, Naruto's eyes creaked open, cringing at the light overhead. "Ugh."

"Look who's awake." Sasuke mocked, drawing his attention.

Naruto smiled and chuckled weakly. "Sasuke." He said trying to sit up.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Said Sakura pushing back down. "What do you think you're doing?" she asked him.

Naruto sighed. "Ah, Sakura… Always good to see you." He said in defeat.

"Uh huh, I bet." She said knowing his hatred of hospitals. "Where have you been, you idiot!" she yelled at him, slapping his chest with a rolled up piece of cloth.

Naruto chuckled and waved her off. "It's a long… long story." He said looking back up to the ceiling.

"Well, I think we'd all like to hear this." Said a new voice. Sasuke and Sakura parted and looked to the door to see Kakashi walking in.

"Kaka-sensei." Naruto said tiredly as he sat up a bit more in his bed.

"Yo, Naruto." He greeted with his signature eye smile and salute. "We've missed you." He said walking over and grabbing his shoulder gently.

Naruto smiled. "Thanks… I've missed everyone here too.." he said, painfully adjusting his position.

"Now, about that long story." He said giving him a questioning look.

"Wait." Sakura said, halting Kakashi. "I think someone else would like to hear this." She said stepping out the room.

While the three waited for her return, Naruto took this time to ask. "Sasuke… how… how are they?"

Sasuke knew he was talking about his family. He shook his head solemnly. "Well, I wish I could tell you they were fine." He said, alerting the blonde that something was wrong. He went on to explain the events that happened when he disappeared, including Hinata's pregnancy with Himawari, how everyone helped her while she couldn't work and when Hinata said she could handle it. He didn't get further than Himawari's sickness however.

"What!?" he yelled jerking his body too fast and wincing at the pain.

Kakashi pushed him back down. "Relax, just listen." He told him.

Sasuke continued, telling him of Hinata selling the house, her having to work double shifts here, Boruto's disbelief in his old adventures, he told him everything. By the end of it, a tear was running down the side of Naruto's face. He felt awful for leaving his family to such a life.

"Things have actually been looking up as of recent." Kakashi added in. "If I heard correctly, Himawari has made a full recovery." He said. Naruto's face was still frozen in shock.

"Wh-…" he began. His face dead set in confusion. "…Why didn't… you help her?" he asked Kakashi. "Why didn't anyone help her?"

Kakashi shook his head. "Naruto… there was nothing we could do…"

"What about my inheritance?" He asked him. "There's a house and, and… and loads of cash from my parents. Why didn't you give it to them!?" he yelled out desperately trying to understand this.

"Your inheritance has to be claimed by you personally." Kakashi explained astutely.

He still didn't understand. "But… but she's my wife…" he said lowly. Kakashi had no words for it. Naruto just didn't understand the way it works yet. He would soon.

Sasuke put his hand on the blonde's shoulder to calm him down. "Naruto, we all helped as much as we could." He told him. "You're here now… make it better. Like you always do." He said looking at him.

Naruto laid back down and once again stared at the ceiling. His heart was hurting just imagining what they had to go through. For five years they've been living in pain because he wasn't fast enough.

His thoughts came to an end when the door opened, and the subject of his pain stricken heart walked through. Hinata stood at the door with tears already brimming at the bottom of her eye lids. Naruto ignored the pain in his body and got to a sitting position. "Hinata!" he yelled.

She ran to him and enveloped him in a hug, crying into the side of his neck. Naruto whispered over and over, 'I'm sorry' to her as he tried to calm her down. Sakura and the others watched from the side feeling a bit awkward but emotional. "Let's give them a little time." She said as they stepped into the hall.

Hinata climbed into Naruto's bed at some point and continued to cry into his neck. "Hinata… I'm so sorry." Naruto said again, wiping his own tears. She was so hysterical she couldn't speak. He sat there for at least ten minutes, holding onto his wife as she trembled into his body. He felt no pain other than the jabs at his heart. Five years of exhaustion and loneliness leaked out from her body in waves and wails of joyful tears.

When she finally calmed down enough to talk, she told him. "I knew you'd come back… I knew it." Naruto wrapped her up tightly and cursed himself for taking so long. Eventually, the door creaked open and Sakura poked her head back in. She looked at Naruto questioningly. He sighed and nodded his head. The other three funneled back in to hear his story. Hinata laid her head on his chest to listen to the tale.

"Well Naruto." Kakashi said scratching his head. "I know you must be feeling emotional, but we need to know where you've been so I may inform the council of your status… they believe you deserted." He explained.

Naruto sighed again and began his tale. "The night of my disappearance, I was uh…I was at home…"

* * *

 _ **-7 years ago-**_

 _Naruto laid in bed next to Hinata, staring at her bare back with a smile on his face. His bandaged right arm was draped around her waist and his left arm was used as his pillow. He couldn't sleep for whatever reason. His mind was lost in the sea of emotions as Kakashi explained to him he would be prepped to take the mantel of Hokage in a few years. It was his dream._

 _All of it, the family, the Hokage position, Sasuke was back. Everything was just so perfect. He slowly removed his arm from around Hinata's waist and rolled out of bed as quietly as he could as to not wake her. Finding his pants among the piles of their clothes, he slipped them back on. Getting to his feet, he walked out of their room and down the hall. Stepping into the kitchen, he got some water from the faucet. He downed it quickly and leaned on the edge of the counter looking around the house. When he finished his glass of water, he headed back down the hall, stopping at Boruto's door._

 _Creaking it open, he peeked in at his two year old son laying in a ridiculous position with his mouth open and drool pouring out continuously. They had been making plans for the boys coming birthday all week. He chuckled and shut the door. Instead of going back to bed, he threw his sandals on and stepped out onto the front porch to get some air. While there, he thought back to everything that has happened in his life. Things including the war, his wedding, his son's birth. Meeting his parents and all that. It brought a smile to his face._

 _He would have never thought his life would end up this great when he was younger. Sure, he had dreams of one day being the Hokage, but hearing from everybody how stupid it was did take its toll on him. He refused to give up on his dream, because that's not what he does. But, there was always that cloud of doubt that hung over his head. The challenge was fighting through that._

 _Now, he was a few years from taking office? Things were falling into place too perfectly. Too perfectly for Naruto because his life was never this easy. Looking down the street he saw what seemed to be a man hopping the roofs of the various houses, caring what seemed to be an incapacitated child._

' _ **Kid, did you see that?'**_ _Kurama asked._

 _Naruto nodded and mentally confirmed that he did. Without a moment's hesitation, he took off, wearing his black pants and sandals, and nothing else. Whoever this was didn't know he was on their trail yet so he kept quiet and continued to follow. He chased the culprit all the way to a training ground where the man abruptly stopped. Naruto figured he must have known he was following them, so he showed himself, landing on the other side of the field._

" _Hey! Who the hell are you!?" he yelled at the figure. The man had his back turned to the blonde and his hoodie was up. Naruto's eyes were on the little girl tucked underneath his arm who wasn't moving. Saving her would be his main priority. "I don't know who you are, but let her go!" he demanded._

 _Following his orders, the figure dropped the 'child' which clattered against the ground showing nothing more than a crudely thrown together dummy with a wig on._

" _w-What the…" Naruto said, not understanding what was going on._

' _ **Naruto… I've got a bad feeling about this…'**_

 _Naruto didn't respond. He just slowly sunk into a fighting stance, feeling a threatening presence all of a sudden._

"… _Naruto Uzumaki…" said the deep voice of the man. The hairs on the back of Naruto's neck stood up at attention. There was something familiar about that voice. He just couldn't place it. "…I've waited… I've waited four years…" he said._

 _Naruto was growing impatient. "Who are you!?" he yelled at him._

" _I've waited four long years…" he said slowly turning around. Naruto's eyes grew bit by bit when he recognized the man, or more accurate, the creature beneath that hoodie._

" _z-…Zetsu…" he whispered in shock. Black Zetsu stood across from him with what appeared to be Kaguya's eye right in the middle of his forehead._

 _Naruto balled his fist up and charged him. He didn't know what he wanted, but he knew it couldn't have been good. Driving his fist forward, his body went straight through him. Then, Naruto's body slumped down painfully into the sand. Sand that wasn't there previously. Opening his eyes, it was day time as well. "What the hell…" he grunted, trying to move his body that seemed so much heavier all of a sudden. So heavy he almost felt like he was suffocating from the pressure on his chest. Looking up, there were three different suns._

" _I've waited four years…" Zetsu said again. Naruto looked over to him to see him stepping through a portal._

" _n…No…" he muttered lowly, realizing what was happening._

' _ **Naruto! Get up!'**_ _Kurama yelled funneling his chakra into his system. Naruto's body erupted in yellow chakra and he slowly began to crawl towards the still open portal. Zetsu stepped around him and watched him crawl. When he was inches away from making it, he closed the portal._

" _No!" Naruto yelled, slamming his fist into the dirt, breaking the appendage with a scream._

 _Zetsu kicked him over onto his back and pushed his hand into his gut. Naruto grunted at the pain and his yellow chakra cloak dispersed against his will._

" _No! What did you do!?" he yelled angrily._

 _Zetsu stared down at him silently for a few moments. "Naruto Uzumaki…" he began. "You… you have taken my mother from me… You have destroyed my reason for living… My reason for existing… You have taken everything from me... It took me years to shape this world the way I did. I molded the shinobi from the ground up to bring her back." He explained, with clear anger and sorrow in his voice._

" _What do you want!?" he yelled at him in anger._

 _Zetsu just continued to stare down at him. "For four years." He said once again. "For four years, I have scraped the last of my mother's power from that rock you left us in… For four years I have absorbed her power so that I could claw her body out… I thought that by doing this… we would be together again… but now I see… now I see that it's not the same… She is not here… " he yelled kicking him in his exposed ribs._

 _Naruto seethed in anger at his helpless state._

" _You, Naruto Uzumaki… will fight me to the death…" he said pointing at him. "If you are to win, I will send you home… If you lose… I will destroy everything you love before I take your life." He said hollowly with no hint of a joke in his tone._

 _Naruto's eyes shot open in alarm and he tried to contact Kurama for power._

" _Do not bother with your pet… he is asleep and he will be for the duration of your training…" Zetsu said._

" _Training… what the hell are you talking about!?" he yelled desperately. "Kurama!"_

 _Zetsu paced around him. "Despite what you may believe, you are not powerful… you were not strong enough to face my mother on your own. You needed that Uchiha brat to help you… I have no interest in fighting you both… I wish to see this so called 'war hero' stand on his own two feet and fight for his world. You, Naruto Uzumaki are the light of the world… You alone now have the chance to either save it, or damn it… but you are not strong enough to face me."_

 _Naruto had no words at the moment. All he was thinking about was the people he's come to know over the years. Just when he thought his life was looking up, he would be forced to fight for the ones he loved once again._

" _This dimension is much more potent than the weighted dimension my mother took you to… Of course you realize this already." Zetsu said. "This is where you will train. And this is where we will battle.. I give you four years, just as I had four years. You will get strong enough to face me, or I will start to destroy your world in advance." He demanded. "Four years flies by quickly Naruto… don't waste it."_

* * *

"So wait." Kakashi said rubbing his mask. "He gave you time to train?"

Sasuke was also finding that hard to believe. "That doesn't seem wise for a man looking for revenge."

Naruto nodded. "During our battle, he told me that after absorbing Kaguya's power and realizing she was still gone, he wanted to die… but couldn't…"

"So, he wanted you to kill him?" Sakura asked. "That still doesn't make any sense. For as long as he had been watching you, you'd think he'd know that killing isn't your thing." She said making a good point. "Why not take Sasuke instead?"

"I asked him that too. He said he wanted to test my resolve…" Naruto explained solemnly.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at the silence. "So… did you?"

Naruto smiled at him and shook his head. "Kurama did." He said looking down at Hinata who rubbed his seal.

"Ah…" the Hokage replied with a nod. "So wait, he gave you four years. Why has it been seven?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow as if it were obvious. "We fought…"

"For three years!?" Sakura yelled unbelievably. Naruto just nodded his head.

Kakashi shook his head as well. "I couldn't imagine…" he said lowly. "Well Naruto. That's enough for me. It's great to have you back." He said rubbing his hair as he used to do when he was a genin.

"Thanks Sensei." Naruto said with a smile.

"I hope you're not too tired to take this hat from me some time soon." He said on his way out the door.

Naruto chuckled. "Not at all."

Hinata picked her head up and instead rested it on his shoulder. Sakura was marking his chart clear seeing he was pretty much healed. "How are you feeling Naruto?"

He wiggled his body a bit. "Extremely sore. Kurama says it'll be a few days until I'm a hundred percent."

She nodded. "Well, in that case, I'll give you a day in here. You will be discharged tomorrow." She said as he sighed in exasperation.

"Uh, Sakura-chan. You're killing me." She just chuckled along with Hinata and finished marking off his chart.

Sasuke walked over to him. "Get better soon Dobe. I want you ready for next week's tournament." He said confusing him.

Before he could ask what he meant, Sakura chirped up. "That's right! Hinata, you can finally do the tournament now!" she said happily.

"What is it?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke decided to explain. "It's a little contest that Kakashi put together for the shinobi of Konoha Jonin level and above. It's basically a couple's tournament. We win it every year." He said daringly with a smirk.

Naruto chuckled as well. "Don't count on winning this year. Hinata and I will be unbeatable." He said shaking the girl who smiled and leaned further into his neck.

"Yeah we'll see about that." Sasuke replied, holding his fist out. Naruto smirked back at him and pounded it. "I'll see you later Dobe." He said as he and Sakura left the room leaving Naruto and Hinata alone.

Naruto got serious once again. "Hinata… I'm so sorry." He said again. Hinata looked up at him.

"Naruto… after what you just told me… I understand." She said sincerely.

Naruto shook his head. "I… I should have been faster… I should have defeated Zetsu faster… it took me three years." He said staring into the middle distance.

"Naruto… you're here now…" she said, making him look her in the eyes. "That's all that matters."

He couldn't accept that. "But… everything that happened." He argued.

"Naruto… We were fine ok?" she asked, holding onto his face. Naruto stared her in the eyes, memorizing every inch of her face. He brought his bandaged hand up and caressed her cheek gently, thinking that… this is the face he's been fighting so hard to make it back to. A tear fell from his eye and he leaned in and pecked her lips. Slowly, Hinata leaned in again and deepened the kiss until they were in a sudden make out session in his bed.

Breaking the kiss, Hinata pulled back a bit. "Would you like to meet your daughter?" She asked. Naruto slowly nodded with a smile slowly spreading across his face. Hinata smiled back and hopped out the bed, taking jittery steps towards the door. Peeking back to him as if to make sure he didn't move.

Naruto painfully got to the edge of his bed. He was dressed in the normal white attire of the hospital patients which was basically a pair of white pants and a white shirt over all of his now useless bandages. He pulled the wrap from around his head and lifted his shirt to take off the patch placed over his ribs. With a sigh, he waited patiently.

In the distance, down the hall, he could hear Hinata shouting "Himawari wait." And the faint pitter patter of small bare feet coming his way. With each step, his heart leaped in excitement. Then, it melted when the most beautiful little girl he had ever seen stepped into his doorway, holding a sketch book in her hands. Short dark hair, bright blue eyes just like his own, and two whisker marks on each cheek.

She was standing there staring at him curiously. Her little feet taking very timid steps in his direction. "…Are you my daddy?" she asked him suddenly with the most adorable little voice he had ever heard. He chuckled and let a tear fall from his face.

"Yeah…" he replied with a beaming smile as he scratched the back of his head. Before he knew it, her eyes lit and her smile rose brighter than his own.

With a war cry of "Daddy!" she rushed to his bed side and threw herself against his body. Naruto caught her and laid back into his bed the correct way. She found a way to crawl into his lap, ranting on and on about things he couldn't fully comprehend at the moment.

"Do you want to see my picture?" she asked him excitedly, looking his way for an answer. Naruto was still wiping the tear from his eye, but smiled down at her none the less.

"I'd love to." He said hugging her small frame and pushing up on the bed with his other hand to get into a more comfortable position. She flipped open the book and began surfing through the pages of various crudely drawn images normally associated with girly things such as flowers and what not. Finally, she stopped flipping pages and pointed at the different pieces of the picture.

"See, that's Mommy, that's Boruto… there's me… and now, that's you."

Naruto smiled at it speechless. None of the figures had any identifying features that would set them apart other than the obvious and accurate size difference between them all. There were also two whiskers on the two smallest ones. She looked up at Naruto and pulled out her crayon, marking in his whisker marks as well.

"There." She said. "Now it's perfect." Naruto chuckled and agreed with her. Hinata stood at the door watching the two with a smile on her face. This was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen. Her daughter healthy and her husband home. There was only one person missing because he was at the academy.

* * *

 _ **-At the Academy-**_

Boruto sat in his seat staring out the window. Apparently news traveled even faster than he thought it did within the village. He just found out his father had returned yesterday, and apparently so did everyone else. All day people stopped him and told him 'congratulations' or 'I'm happy for you' as if he was responsible for doing something amazing. It was completely annoying at this point.

Even Shino-sensei had said it to him. He didn't understand what the big deal was. From the way the people would stop him on the street and tell him how glad they were that his dad was back on his way to the academy this morning, he actually began to realize that he wasn't as 'deadbeat' as he thought he was. He still didn't believe in the ridiculous stories, but he had to figure that this admiration from the people was not for nothing. Maybe it was something he did in the war? He was supposed to be some kind of war hero right?

Boruto had no idea, but apparently his friends expected him to as they asked him what he was like. He had to explain so many times today that he himself had no idea. He hadn't even spoken to him yet. Sarada was the worst as she constantly tried to make him see how great this was. 'Hey Boruto. Now you can ask your dad to come for father's day.' 'Now you have someone to train you' 'Maybe your parents will be in the tournament this year.' She was very persistent in this and it had annoyed him long ago.

In a way, he did feel a sort of… relief from knowing that he was actually back, as his mom now wouldn't have to go out into the field. Or maybe it would make things worse. He was pretty banged up yesterday, so wouldn't that just be another hospital bill? One good thing that came out of all of this was how happy his mother seemed to be this morning. He also noticed she didn't get ready for work so maybe that meant she wouldn't have to work anymore.

That brought a bit of relief as well. That means she'd be home now and safe from danger. Two pluses. In short, everyone was expecting Boruto to be happy that he was back. In a way, he kind of was with the stress it seemed to take off of his mother, but as for just being happy for him specifically, he couldn't do it. How could he be happy for a stranger? Sure it was his father, but he's never met him. Well, to his knowledge.

Not a single memory of the guy he saw on that hospital bed. So there was no satisfaction seeing him return. Luckily, it didn't seem like that would matter, as the rest of the village seemed excited for him.

"Now." Shino-sensei said catching everyone's attention. "That will be all for today. There are five minutes remaining in class. I'd advise using this time to work on your father's day invitation."

The class again broke apart into their own groups discussing what they wanted to put in their letters. Of course, Boruto stared at the blank sheet of paper in front of him, just waiting for the inevitable. "Boruto." Sarada called. "Want me to help you with your letter?" she asked.

Boruto just shook his head. "No that's ok."

She just looked at him. "Well, are you gonna do it?" she asked. Boruto just shrugged and picked the blank piece of paper up. Waving it in the air for a second, he threw it back down.

"You should do it." Said Shikadai from behind him. "That is your dad."

Boruto sighed. "What's the big deal? It's just a stupid… holiday… it's not even a _real_ holiday." He grumbled putting his head down

"I thought you'd be happy to have a dad." Sarada said looking at him strangely. Boruto didn't reply. "Do you not like him or something?" she asked, trying to understand why he was so upset still.

"It's not that Sarada." He said defensively. "I don't know him."

Shikadai once again added in. "Now's as good a time as any to start." He said. Boruto just looked out the window and groaned. Shino called the class to an end and all of the children funneled out in their usual groups and clumps of friends. Boruto broke apart from his and headed for the hospital. His goal was to see his sister, but if he was already awake, he figured he may as well meet the man who was supposedly his father.

What would he say to him? 'Hey dad! Glad you're back! Even though I never met you!' Tch, what a joke. No, what he was going to do was demand some answers. He was going to know where he's been for the past seven years. Just because he came home beaten up didn't mean he was out there doing something courageous. Maybe he had some other family while out there and got attacked and just came back to be healed.

A farfetched tale of course, but Boruto wasn't leaving anything out. He would be sure before he accepted this man as his father. Of course, he knew from just their experience yesterday that Himawari would accept him with open arms. She had been dreaming of what their father would be like forever. Just as he had at one point. With age, he learned not to wait for him and moved on with his life as best he could. If it were two years ago he'd be ecstatic about the whole situation.

Walking into the hospital, he greeted Itsuo and began walking to Himawari's room. He stopped at the ER hall and stared down at the door he knew his father was in. Mustering up enough strength and will power, he decided he may as well get it over with.


	4. Chapter 4

**Implausible Tales chapter 4**

 _ **-Hospital Room-**_

Sitting in a chair off to the side, Boruto watched his father sleep. He had been there for thirty minutes already. Trying to come to terms with how he felt being face to face with him again. He didn't look like much. Definitely not like someone who was somehow the most powerful shinobi to ever come from the hidden leaf. With drool pooling out the side of his mouth and his body strewn across the bed in a ridiculous position, Boruto found it hard to believe.

Waiting for him to wake, he remembered a few stories he was told of in the past and played them over in his mind, now that he had a face to imagine. One of which that was his favorite in the past was when Kakashi told him of when his dad saved his life. He spoke of how he refused to give up on him when he was being led to his death by an old enemy of his. Kakashi said, 'when everyone else was content with letting me die, including myself, your father wasn't and fought as hard as he could to get me back.' It was his favorite, because that's how he wanted to be.

Was that story even true? Was the story of him saving that old actress real? Or the one about him saving the village? There were no monuments for him about that, so where was the proof? Now, here's this guy everyone talks about. He came right when everything seemed to be getting better. When Himawari wasn't sick anymore. What convenience that was.

Judging by the picture sitting by his bed, Boruto assumed he must have already met her. Another thing he noticed was the lack of injuries or bandages of any kind. Was he already healed? How could that even be? He was nearly dead when they brought him in two days ago. Staring at his right arm, he noticed that at least that was still wrapped up. Did that bring truth to the story his pseudo uncle Sasuke told him about? About their battle where they both lost an arm?

As he was staring at his arm, he didn't notice Naruto's eyes had opened and he was staring at him. Slowly a smile rose on his face. "…Bolt…"

Boruto gasped and looked back up to his face. He was awake. Boruto didn't say anything. His face set back into indifference as he watched him sit up to the edge of his bed. He could see him struggling to even hold himself up.

"Wow…" Naruto said in astonishment and a shine to his eyes. "Look how big you've gotten…" he said in amazement. Boruto just continued to stare at him. "You were just starting to walk when I last saw you…"

"Seven years ago…" Boruto replied coldly, looking up at him.

Naruto chuckled and scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "Yeah, sorry about that. I kind of got dragged into something." He said condensing the story. Boruto still just stared at him.

"For seven years." He remarked in a deadpanned tone.

Naruto's smile faltered a bit seeing the apparent anger in his eyes. "y-Yeah…" he whispered, unsure of what else he could say. "I'm uh… I'm sorry." He forced out awkwardly. "… You must have been so lonely…"

Boruto's face contorted in disgust at the statement. "What, because you weren't there?" he asked incredulously as if it were the most ludicrous thing he had ever heard.

Naruto scratched the side of his face. "Look… I know what it's like growing up without a father." he said, trying to reach him on an emotional level. "I know it sucks… and I know you probably hate me… but, Boruto… I have always loved you…"

Boruto's eyes squinted and he stood up and headed for the door as fast as he could. Naruto called out to him.

"Boruto, wait…" he said, stopping him at the door. The room sunk into an uncomfortable silence. "…I'm sorry…" he said lowly. Boruto grabbed the handle and opened the door. When he shut it, he wiped the tear that escaped down his right cheek and sniffled away the snot threatening to drip out. With a heavier heart than he expected to have, he walked down the hall, intent on going to see his sister.

Naruto stared at the door with a downtrodden expression. It wasn't necessarily the reaction he expected to get, but it didn't surprise him either. With experience in growing up without a father, he knew how it could affect someone. Hell, he punched his own dad in the stomach the first time he met him. Compared to that, this was great. For now, he had to let him heal. Just let him heal.

* * *

 _ **-A few hours later-**_

Hinata entered with Himawari at her side and a bag in her hand. Naruto sat up slowly with a smile. "Hey, my two favorite girls."

"Hey daddy!" Himawari said climbing up into his lap. Naruto held onto her and pecked Hinata on the lips.

"I brought your clothes." She said handing him the bag. Inside it was his long sleeved orange shirt, a plain white t-shirt, black pants, and black shinobi sandals.

He smiled. "Ah, Hinata-chan. You're amazing." he said standing up with Himawari still in his arms. He handed her off to Hinata so that he could head into the bathroom immediately to leave this place. There were so many things he wanted to do. He wanted to go see his friends, see Iruka, eat some Ichiraku's, but most importantly go home.

Stepping into the bathroom, Naruto looked into the bathroom mirror and paused momentarily. His reflection reminded him of something. Reminded him of being there…

* * *

 _Kneeling, exhausted, at the edge of an oasis, Naruto stared at his reflection. He had been there for a week already and was barely getting to the point which he could walk again. The gravity beat down on him continuously without any mercy. It was so hard to move, and it was so very, very hot. Reaching down with a shaky hand, he dipped it into the remarkably cool water and cupped it in his palms. Taking a sip, he washed the sweat from his face before once again staring at his blurry reflection._

 _He stared at the ripples that just seemed to go on forever, waiting for the surface to settle. When it finally did, all he saw was himself.  
No family by his side.  
No headband.  
Nothing._

 _Just himself staring back at him, just as it was long before. He pushed up off the ground until he was sitting back on his heels. Looking around, there was nothing else but desert for miles upon miles. No wind, no plants, absolutely nothing. He looked up to the sky at the three suns that beat down on him. Although the place was now his prison, he had to admit how amazing it was. Even with the three Suns in the sky, there was still somehow a faint clap of thunder that cracked the silence of the world every few seconds._

 _For the first time in a long time, he felt truly and completely helpless. He was stuck here for the next four years. He wouldn't be there for Boruto's first day at the academy. He'd miss four years of anniversaries with Hinata. Four years of birthday parties for his own son. It was all gone._

 _He slouched back down and grabbed at the sand, thinking about all the things he would miss. Every time… every single time he had a chance at a good life, something came along to mess it up. It was as if he were destined to duke it out with the likes of misfortune, no matter what the situation._

 _When he was younger, the Sandaime Hokage told him that life sometimes threw people obstacles for the purpose of giving them the opportunity to work through them. Thus, making them stronger. What more could it throw his way? He's been through a hellish childhood of lonesomeness, an unguided teenaged life of pain and loss of those precious to him, he's carried the weight of the entire goddamned world on his shoulders for crying out loud! What more could life want from him!?_

 _While they were at war, someone claimed that war was the ultimate milestone of human suffering that only a few were so unlucky to experience. But… for some people, the war wasn't over when the bad guy died. As true as that is, in a physical sense the war is over for everyone else. So, why was he still fighting it? Why him of all people? Everyone else was at home enjoying the peace they so rightfully earned. So, why was he forced to continue the fight?_

" _AAARRGH!" he yelled into the sky. He wanted out of this world. He wanted to go home so bad. He really wanted to go home. He froze in his thinking when he heard something other than the wind. It was something distinct that he vaguely remembered. With as much effort as he could muster, he pushed himself up to his feet._

 _He struggled his way up the hill he heard the new sounds coming from. When he reached the top, in the far distance, he could see an unnaturally placed forest that he was sure wasn't there a while ago. What's more, he could here creatures within it. They sounded much larger than he remembered them being in his world._

"… _What the - hell is this…" he asked himself in a low whisper._

" _I figured you'd need something to eat." Said a new monotonous voice, causing him to jump. He took a wrong step and tumbled painfully down the hill. When he finally stopped, he crouched down on his hands and knees in a threatening way, ready to pounce. His furious gaze was on Zetsu who was still standing at the top of the sand dune. "Calm yourself boy, take this as a gift."_

 _Naruto stood to his feet slowly in a threatening way. "I'll fucking kill you!" he yelled preparing to make a few clones. They disappeared as soon as they appeared though which confused him._

" _Your clones can't survive if you yourself can't even handle the gravity." Zetsu explained casually. "I hope you're not wasting time Uzumaki… you don't have too long." As soon as he said that, his body faded away._

 _Naruto fell to his knees, grabbing at the sand again. He steadied his breathing before sitting back on his heels in defeat once again. He turned around when he felt a soft rumbling running through the ground. A few feet behind him, a pack of very big wolves seemed to have placed their sights on him. They were a ways off, but he could see that they were subtly eyeing him._

 _He stood to his feet and walked back up the sand dune. Looking around as if he would see something else. When nothing appeared, he turned back to the unnatural patch of greenery that danced with a wind that didn't exist. He sat on his butt, gazing at the place in a sort of reminiscent manner. It was like a painful representation of a place he might never see again._

 _Suddenly, a crack of thunder resounded above him. Much louder than the distant claps he was hearing earlier. He looked up to the sky to see the first few raindrops beginning to descend upon him. When they hit his face, he shut his eyes and mentally replayed images of his past to appease his heavy heart. Trying to remember a time when he wasn't alone._

* * *

Signing his name on the forms in front of him, Naruto vaguely listened to the young girl in front of him who was droning on and on about how much Hinata has missed him. Not that he didn't care, he was just very much ready to get out of this place. He nodded at her with a smile as she seemingly asked him a question.

"Great." She quipped happily. "Well, Hinata here will take wonderful care of you. I know that much." She smiled and winked at the dark haired girl who grew slightly red as she hooked Naruto's arm.

Naruto smiled and nodded again. "I know that as well." He said turning around with Hinata still holding onto his arm. Himawari was sitting in the waiting area trying to get as much play time in as she could with the little toys and knickknacks set out for the children.

"Hima." Hinata called out. "Come on sweetie. It's time to go."

Himawari threw the blocks down and spun around happily. "Ok, Mommy!" she yelled running over to the two. Naruto was still walking very painfully so Hinata used her free hand to pick Himawari up as they headed out the door.

The storm that had been present when Naruto first arrived a few days ago seemed to have let up just recently as there were still puddles around the ground while they walked. The sun was out though and as soon as they stepped out, Naruto paused for a second letting his face bask in its warmth. It was a different kind of warmth than that of the three sunned world. This was comforting. Calm.

Himawari looked at him strangely. She didn't understand why he was smiling at the sky or why her mother was smiling at him. It was very weird but she didn't address it. Hinata rubbed his back gently. "You're home now…" she said lowly, leaning her head onto his shoulder.

Naruto's smile never faded as he inhaled and exhaled slowly. When he opened his eyes, there were tears brimming on the bottom of his eye lids. "I know." He replied, hugging her tighter.

They walked through the garden of the Hospital which led to the exit. Naruto seemed so fascinated by every single thing they passed, including the many flowers, the bugs, and even the cool wind that occasionally blew through the air. Everything was so beautiful to him, because there were more than a few times which he thought he may never have seen these things again. Now, here they were.

When they made it to the front gate, Naruto looked around amazed at the village. It was so different than he remembered. Giant television screens that looked like billboards, stores he had never heard of, and even jobs he hadn't seen before or in a long time. There were people wearing a uniform with 'Police' tagged on their form, postmen, there was so much. He took just a few short steps before he was called out to in excitement.

A random man he had never seen. "i-It's! It's Naruto!" he yelled frantically with his eyes as big as saucers. The other surrounding villagers stopped at the commotion and turned to see what was happening. Then, like a domino effect, shouts of 'Naruto!' 'He's returned!' 'He's back!' all flew through the air before he was bombarded by people trying to shake his hand or catch his eye for just a slight second. It was a little overwhelming for him, but he tried his best to at least greet as many as he could.

He and Hinata were still slowly trying to shuffle through the crowd to make it to their home, but they didn't want to be rude so they resigned to greet the people that tried greeting them. Himawari was just very confused as she watched her father shake hand after hand, wondering what all this was about. Her innocence just told her 'Daddy sure has a lot of friends'.

There were so many people that when Naruto and Hinata made it to a set of stairs that descended to the market district, all they could see was an ocean of people all cheering his name. People funneling out of shops and even shinobi passing by stopped on the rooftops to give the returned hero a welcome. Naruto smiled at them all and waved, letting a tear slip from his eye. It didn't dawn on him that they would never make it home at this rate. He was just proud to see his people.

"Alright you savages!" yelled a new voice that Naruto vaguely remembered. The crowd quickly split away from him for fear of being crushed by the enormous dog that fell from the rooftop. "Come on! Clear out!" he yelled using his hands to shoo them away. "Let the man go home!"

"Kiba." Naruto remarked happily with a smile. Before he knew it, two more people he knew of dropped down as well.

"Well, well." Said a much more mature feminine voice. "If it isn't the knucklehead of the leaf."

Naruto smiled as Ino and Sai walked to them and Kiba continued doing crowd control. "Ino, Sai." He greeted with a happy tone. "I've missed you guys." Ino came up and gave him a hug in which he had to release Hinata for. When they broke apart, Ino walked over to Hinata to greet her and Himawari, leaving the boys to their conversation.

"Welcome home Naruto. Everyone believed you had died." Sai said extending his hand for a shake.

Naruto chuckled and shook his hand. "As blunt as ever I see." He remarked. "No, I am not dead."

Sai nodded. "I am aware." He stated, nodding his head. "Where have you been?" he asked.

Naruto sighed and scratched the back of his head. With a chuckle, he just said, "It's a long story. For some other time maybe."

Sai nodded his head in understanding. "You seem to have been in some sort of battle. I'm sure it was as miraculous as all of your other achievements."

Naruto waved him off in embarrassment. "Meh, meh. You're exaggerating." He said with a blush.

"Not likely." Said Kiba who overheard on his way over. "With you, I could only imagine what went down." He said with a chuckle. Naruto smiled and shook Kiba's hand as well. "I'm sure you're exhausted so, why don't we escort you home?" he said receiving a nod and a thanks in reply.

The group of ninja walked down the street with Akamaru and Kiba clearing the way, Sai and Naruto in the middle of the bunch discussing what has been happening, and Ino, Hinata, and Himawari trailing behind, having a conversation of their own. Along the way, Naruto was still being welcomed home by everyone they passed and he waved at them, shouting out his gratitude along the way.

On the very attention drawing stroll through the village, Naruto got an in depth look at all of the new innovations made to the villages. It was so modernized compared to how it was when he was growing up. There was so much to do in Konoha now. Along the way, they ran into Lee and Shikamaru who had just returned from running an errand for Kakashi. The two tagged along and Naruto took that time to give them all a condensed version of his tale of hardship and triumph.

He was so glad to be around all of his friends again. For so long, he wondered what it would feel like being reunited with everyone. He felt that he had been devoid of human contact for so long that he'd no longer know how to do this whole friendship thing. He found that it was just as natural as breathing when he didn't think about it.

In their journey to Hinata's apartment building, they seemed to walk as slow as possible while the people surrounding them clapped and cheered for their returned hero. Soon, the band of friends not self-sworn to escort the injured blonde home bid their goodbyes to him and headed off to do their own various tasks. Leaving Kiba, Akamaru, and Ino clearing the way for them.

When they made it to the apartment complex, Kiba helped Naruto upstairs with the help of Akamaru as Ino and Hinata continued their conversation. When they got to the door, Kiba leaned Naruto up against the wall so that he could open it. When he tried however, he realized he couldn't do it. Hinata apologized to the group and struggled with the door until it finally opened. Naruto watched on sadly, remembering he had a door like that many years ago.

Hinata avoided his solemn look and opted instead to try and focus on their guests who were bidding them a good day, insinuating vulgar activities that they may want to catch up on. Hinata was hardly paying attention as she wondered what Naruto could've been thinking about. Himawari rushed inside, ignoring the grown up talk as she plopped down on the couch.

Kiba and Ino waved at the two as they headed down the corridor. Naruto gave them a small smile as he waved them off as well. When they were out of sight, he turned around and looked at Hinata who was standing by the door, waiting for him to go in. He looked down at the ground before entering.

A wave of sad nostalgia hit him as the place eerily reminded of him of his old crummy apartment from his Genin days, just with more decoration, appliances, and actual bedrooms. He stepped in and looked around, ignoring the sound of Himawari giving voices to her toys as she played on the coffee table. Hinata walked in behind him, shutting the door.

She stared at Naruto's back, wondering what he was thinking as he walked through the living room slowly. He was looking at all of the pictures hung on the wall. There were so many and they were all of Boruto, Himawari, and Hinata. It was the most beautiful collection of images he's ever seen. He stopped at one and rubbed it with his fingers. It was Himawari in her hospital bed with tubes up her nose. She was smiling as bright as ever.

Hinata wiped the stray tear trying to run down her cheek as she watched him. His hand slid off the picture and he hobbled further through the apartment, stopping at the bathroom. He peeked inside and stared at the cracked mirror for a few seconds. Continuing on, he opened the first bedroom door which belonged to Boruto. There was nothing inside but a bed, a dresser, clothes strewn across the room, and stuffed animals from Himawari who seemed to be sharing his room for the time being.

Hinata came over and wrapped her arms around his side. Naruto lifted his arm so that he could hook it around her shoulders. They both stared into the room silently for a few seconds. "… I'm so sorry, Hinata…" he finally choked out. "I'll fix this…" he said lowly.

Hinata smiled at him and tugged at him lightly in the direction of their room. Naruto got the hint and turned to the last door. Walking in, everything was as neat as ever. She walked him over to the bed and helped him lay down as gently as she could. Naruto sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed. He was told to get some rest, but he didn't feel right in this place.

Hinata crawled across the bed on the other side and placed her hands on the top of his shoulders. She stared at her fingertips as they gently caressed the fabric of his shirt. She had forgotten how broad he was. Her hands snaked around his body, feeling his chest. Her nose pressed into the nook of his neck, she took in a whiff of his scent that was so different than she remembered. It was no longer the lingering smell of ramen. Instead it was much more potent with a dim scent of ash. A smell she remembered from the days of war.

Regardless of the unwelcome aroma, it was Naruto. She kissed his neck gently while her hands snaked around his torso, feeling the incredibly chiseled body beneath the fabric. Naruto's hands found Hinata's wandering around his body, and he interlocked his fingers through hers from the back of her hand. She was kissing his neck passionately and Naruto tilted his head, giving her more room.

Soon, he turned his body more so that her lips found their way to his. He pecked her lightly the first time and looked into her longing eyes. Then, as if perfectly synced they locked lips again in a struggle of passion, deepening it with the embrace of each other's tongue. Naruto turned his body, ignoring the pain, until his hands were on the bed propping him up. Hinata was still in her awkward leaning pose, holding onto Naruto's shoulders for support.

Their faces never leaving the others, Naruto snaked his hands to the back of Hinata's knees and pulled her closer until he pulled her feet through and laid her on her back. While there, his range of kissing expanded from her mouth to her jawline and down to her neck. No words were said and the room was completely silent, but the two of them heard music. Hinata's shortened breaths tickled Naruto's ears in an intoxicating way, and the contractions of her throat beneath her skin held his focus.

Hinata's hands were roaming over Naruto's form again, as she ran one across his back clutching the fabric for support and the other one ran through his hair. His bright blonde hair that she had missed so dearly. A tear ran down her face for the millionth time that week as she just continued to remind herself that Naruto was back. He was really back.

Their romantic make out session ended when they heard the front door of the apartment open. With a shout from Himawari declaring that her brother was home, Naruto pushed up on the bed, pulling away from Hinata who was still catching her breath. "We should make dinner." He said with a smile.

Hinata nodded and ran a hand through her hair. "Yeah…" She said fighting through both her frustration and her shortness of breath. Naruto painfully stood up from the bed before helping Hinata up as well. Just as he did, Boruto and Himawari came in.

"Daddy! Boru-to's…" Himawari said looking at the awkward interaction from the two as Naruto scratched his head and Hinata quickly straightened her clothes out.

Boruto came in right behind her looking just as confused. He merely glanced at Naruto who shot him a small smile before looking back to Hinata. "Mom, I have a permission slip that needs to be signed."

Hinata raised her eyebrows and walked over to the two, escorting them out of the room. "What is it for?" While Boruto explained, Naruto watched them all walk out with a smile on his face. This was just as he imagined it. Well, with a happy addition he hadn't known about of course.

Following them out the room, the pain returned to his body without the beautiful distraction of his wife and he cringe at the first step he took. Waving the pain off, he continued out of the room. Entering the living room, he saw Hinata and Boruto sitting on the couch going over whatever the permission slip was on the table. Himawari had ran to him with a squeal of "Daddy, come look what I drew!"

He scooped her up, making the groan of effort it took seem more playful than it actually was. Placing her on his hip, he walked over to the counter to view her masterpiece. Naruto noticed how silent she got as she rubbed his face for whatever reason. Ignoring that, he looked down at the picture that depicted something he was fairly sure he knew. It was drawn with supposedly different characters, but he knew what it was. The question is how did she know what it was?

It was crudely drawn in crayon of course, but it depicted a princess, standing next to a knight in bright yellow armor with a red scarf around his neck. What made him truly understand what it was, they were standing on the moon, with a man with blue armor behind them on the ground. This was the story of how he and Hinata got together, but how did she know about it.

Himawari seemed to lose interest in his face as she looked down at her picture. She felt the need to explain what it was. "This is the princess…" She said pointing at the woman wearing a black dress. "This is the knight… and this is the king of the moon people." Despite their different positions, they all had the same smile drawn on their faces, even the vanquished villain laying spread out in the back. "It's from my favorite bedtime story, the princess, the knight, and the moon people."

Naruto grinned at the photo and peeked a glance back at Hinata who was smiling over at him as Boruto signed his own name on whatever the form was. "I know that story too." He said looking at Himawari.

"You do?" she asked him in surprise. "Did mommy tell you too?"

Naruto chuckled and nodded his head. "Yeah… yeah she did." He said pinching her cheek. With the distractions of their children taken care of, Hinata and Naruto prepared dinner for them all, much to Hinata's protest. She didn't want Naruto overexerting himself when he just got back, but he insisted he wanted to do something.

Boruto sat at the coffee table doing his homework while Himawari played with her toys off to the side. He refused to admit any part of this felt good. It was unnatural having someone else in their home. Even though everyone else seemed so comfortable with it, he couldn't help but find it strange. Some good came out of this though as Himawari was finally home. She was completely healthy from what he could see, but according to his mother, she still had check-ups at the hospital to make sure she was ok.

He snuck a glance over to the kitchen to see his mother smiling at something that Naruto apparently messed up. He was smiling bashfully at her as he stepped aside to let her fix whatever it was he had messed up and he stared at her with a small smile on his face. In a second that he wasn't expecting Naruto's eyes shifted up and caught Boruto's.

Boruto quickly looked away, hoping he didn't say anything to him. For a slight second he thought about something. They were making dinner… and Himawari was here. He looked over to the four seated dining room table. Remembering all the times he ate alone, wishing that those other seats would be filled. It was only six o'clock and his mother was already home. A ghost of a smile snaked its way onto his face. This is what family was supposed to feel like.

He was broken from his thoughts when a knock at his door caught his ears. Great, they had visitors. His father walked from the kitchen nodding at the two of them as he went for the door. Struggling with it a bit, he was finally able to open it. As soon as he did, he was encased in a very feminine embrace and Boruto looked on in curiosity.

"He's alive!" a familiar voice shouted out.

As soon as it did, Himawari jumped from her spot. "Auntie Hanabi!" she yelled rushing towards the door. Naruto stepped aside and allowed her in. Right behind her was his father in law Hiashi.

"Hiashi." He said extending his hand out to him.

Hiashi took it momentarily before pulling him in. "Oh come on son, it's been ages." He said giving him a brief hug for his return. "I am glad you're back Naruto." He said nodding his head. Boruto watched on in disappointment.


	5. Chapter 5

**Implausible Tales chapter 5**

Walking to the academy, Boruto thought about how disappointing the last night was. They were almost going to eat like a regular family until his Aunt and Grandfather showed up unexpectedly. For the duration of dinner he watched from the couch eating his dinner next to Himawari as the four grownups ate at the table. It felt as though he was placed at the kids table. He had never missed that stupid chair of his so much than when he saw his father there.

His mother seemed so happy though. That's all that was keeping him together at this point. She was all smiles for the entire meal as they all joked around and laughed about the things Naruto missed trying to catch him up to speed. Somewhere along the way, his Grandfather had asked Naruto what he planned to do now that he was back and Naruto told him he was still shooting for Hokage, but that he wouldn't be doing it for at least a few months. He wanted some time to spend with his family.

That's when Hiashi told him of the troubles he knew about from speaking to the landlord just before they arrived. Apparently Hinata wasn't planning on telling Naruto of their eviction or at least not yet. Naruto only raised an eyebrow at that. Hiashi offered to help with their rent this once to at least get them out of the tight spot, but Naruto politely denied his offer claiming he had it covered.

Boruto only scoffed from a distance. How arrogant could he be? Like they had the means to deny help from someone. First things first, he didn't even know they were getting evicted. That was news to him as well. If he had known he probably would've searched for a job somewhere. He had no idea what kind of job would hire a ten year old, but there had to be something. But, no. Here comes his father with his whole macho 'I got it covered' motto. "Pfft, what a joke." He muttered.

Ignoring that for now, he was a little excited to get to the academy today as they were attending a field trip to some of the famous training grounds of Konoha. He would get to see places where so many people went to train to become ninja like all of the previous Hokage. It was gonna be so cool.

* * *

 _ **-Streets of Konoha-**_

Walking through the Market district, Naruto greeted all of the star-stricken villagers who rushed him as soon as he stepped out of the apartment complex. That was an hour ago and he was barely reaching his destination which would have originally been a ten minute walk. It was taxing of course, but he enjoyed seeing his people again. It was very early and he was tired and still hurting, but he wanted to get this done before Hinata woke up. When he finally reached his destination, which was the Hokage tower, he sighed in relief stepping inside.

"o-Oh my…" said the brown haired receptionist sitting behind her desk. It was a young woman who seemed to be a few years younger than he was. "n-Naruto-sama!" she yelled in disbelief. Naruto waved to her with a smile. She began a long rant about how she was his biggest fan and how she had taken the position she was in years ago just so that she could meet him when he took office. He was a little disturbed by how adoring she seemed but ignored it.

Finally, after signing an autograph for the spunky woman, he was finally allowed to go ahead with a bashful apology. He walked towards the Hokage's office, greeting two squads of amazed Genin on his way. Opening the door, Kakashi was very robotically signing off on document after document.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto said with a smile strolling towards him.

Kakashi finally looked up. "Ah, Naruto." He said finishing the paper he was on before setting it off to the side. "Much earlier than I expected. Shouldn't you be resting?"

Naruto smiled and scratched the back of his head. "Ah, kinda hard to do in that small apartment." He said hinting at why he was there.

Kakashi chuckled and stood up. "Ha, I assumed that's what this is about." He said walking over to the Hokage portraits. He lifted the Yondaime's to reveal a strange seal. Going through hand signs, he pointed his finger towards the center. It lit up briefly before a cloud of smoke disguised the content that Kakashi caught. Putting the portrait back, he tossed something at the blonde.

Naruto caught a scroll and a key. "Thank you Kakashi-sensei." He smiled at him with that big cheesy grin that the silver-haired man had missed so much.

"No problem Naruto." He replied with his eye smile. "Everything is exactly as they left it… well, not that you'd know that." He said awkwardly.

Naruto chuckled. "Eh, yeah… Hey sensei." He said catching Kakashi gaze again. "What is this whole.. Couple's Tournament thing? I've been seeing flyers all around town about it."

"Oh. Well it's just a little competition I developed to give everyone a reason to continue training. With this new found peace, there's not much to do mission wise besides the occasional A-rank. Mainly B's and C's though." He informed casually. "There's also a lone fighter tournament, but it's not as popular as the couples match. The most famous Konoha shinobi are in that one."

Naruto nodded. So it was just to keep everyone sharp. "Is there some kind of prize? Everyone seems so pumped about it."

"Oh, yeah. It's a free trip to Yugakure, all expenses paid." Kakashi said. "Kinda pointless actually, considering Sasuke and Sakura win it every year."

Naruto raised an eyebrow at that. "Every year? How long has it been?"

With a shrug Kakashi replied. "Just three years so far. It's been a sweep each year though. Well, Sai and Ino almost had them last year. Hard to beat a Sharingan master though."

Naruto grinned. "Heh! Well, this year, Hinata and I will take it, no doubt." He said poking his chest with his thumb. "Oh, and Kurama says hello."

Kakashi nodded. "Ah, I hope you're well Kurama." He said greeting the fox back.

"So." Naruto said, painfully readjusting himself in his seat. "Anything else new in the village since I've been gone? Besides the scenery."

Kakashi thought it over. "Hmm… well there are a lot of activities that you will no doubt be invited to. You'll be informed when it pops up I'm sure." He said waving it off.

"Yeah…" Naruto said with nothing else on his mind. "Well, thanks again Sensei." He said standing up painfully. "I'll be moving in today."

Kakashi nodded. "Well, I'll have a Genin group or two over in an hour or so."

Naruto stopped in his walking. "Ah, you don't have to do that sensei. I can handle it."

Kakashi shook his head. "Nope, if Sakura found out you were even here today she'd kill you. Imagine if she found out you were moving by yourself as well? Your wife wouldn't allow it either." Naruto actually shivered at that. "Don't mind it. I'm sure there are a few groups that would just love a chance to meet the future Hokage slash 'Hero of War'." He mocked.

Naruto scratched the back of his head bashfully. "Yeah I guess. Thanks again Kaka-sensei!" he called out on his way out the door.

* * *

 _ **-The Apartment-**_

Struggling with the door, he finally got it open to see a still tired looking Hinata standing in the kitchen with a cup of coffee and a bright and happy Himawari at the table eating her breakfast.

"Daddy's home!" she called out in glee jumping from her seat and rushing him with her small arms spread as wide as possible.

Naruto smiled and scooped her up, ignoring the pain accompanying him doing so. "Hey there princess! What are you doing up so early?" he asked her rhetorically.

"It's not early Daddy! It's already day time!" she said with a smile.

Naruto groaned in fake exasperation. "Ah, but I'm still sleepy!"

"Maybe you should have slept longer." Came a much more serious voice. Hearing the clearly displeased tone in her mother's voice, Himawari didn't reply as Naruto set her down. She whispered a quick and cute 'good luck' before running back to the table to eat.

Naruto laughed even through the tension before turning to his wife. "Hinata." He said walking up to her. She had her right hand tucked into her left elbow with her left hand holding the cup of coffee up to her lips. He placed his hands on her hips and pulled her body into his gently. "You ready?" he asked her.

She raised an eyebrow at that. "Ready? For what? And where did you go?"

Naruto sighed and stepped away dramatically. "Ugh! What's with all these questions!?" he asked "I mean, geez can we at least finish packing our stuff?"

Hinata gave him a look that said she really didn't understand.

He rolled his eyes and walked back over to her with a smile plastering his face. He plucked the cup of hot liquid from her hands and set it down. "We're going home Hinata." She was still confused, but there was a glimmer of hope in her eyes that he didn't miss. Before she could ask what he meant, he added on. "Our real home…"

A smile slowly but surely crept onto her face. With tears brimming, she threw her arms around his neck with a squeal of excitement. Naruto's hands wrapped around her form and he leaned back, lifting her off her feet. He spun her around and somehow their lips met.

"Eww!" called out a giggling Himawari seeing them lock lips. Naruto and Hinata released each other and Naruto sent her a mischievous look.

"Ew?" he asked her dangerously. She was still giggling at his ridiculous face that was meant to represent a bad guy. "I'll show you 'ew'!" he yelled out giving chase to the giggling little girl who jumped from her seat and took off for the safety of her brother's room. Hinata smiled at the two and looked around the small apartment with a giddy scream being contained at the back of her throat.

* * *

 _ **-Training Grounds-**_

"And this here was the training location of yours truly." Shino said holding his hand up. "This is the spot I trained to be a ninja alongside my two teammates who are also very well known, Hinata Uzumaki, and Kiba Inuzuka." He informed the class. "As a piece of advice, take the lessons of teamwork seriously because that is the main skill that a Konoha shinobi must possess. Why? Because Konoha shinobi are more efficient when working alongside a comrade."

Boruto and Shikadai sunk towards the back of the group, looking around at the place his mom used to train at. It was weird being somewhere like this. He normally wouldn't associate his mom with anything Ninja related even though he knew she was one. To him, all his life, she's just been his mother. Not some super cool shinobi who was famous around the villages. It was cool to stand where she once stood when she was younger.

"It's strange right?" Shikadai asked suddenly. Boruto looked over to him in confusion. "Being at the training grounds where our parents once trained?" he finished, vocalizing exactly what Boruto was thinking.

"Oh… yeah…" he replied still looking around. This was a lot more boring than he thought it would be. They were walking again and so far, there was nothing but a bunch of trees. As that thought crossed through his mind, the woods they were walking through came to an end, leaving them walking out into a clearing.

"Sensei, this isn't a training ground." Said Sarada looking at the map they were given, confused as to where he took them. It was just a huge field with a waterfall coming from the cliff.

Shino nodded. "Indeed. Although not an official training ground, I was told that this location is another training site of the recently returned hero Naruto Uzumaki."

Like clockwork, every single head turned to Boruto who deadpanned instantly. Big whoop, so his dad trained here, how cool.

"It was here that he learned to do something that the Yondaime Hokage could not achieve. What was it? He was able to add an elemental chakra to his most well-known attack the Rasengan." He informed them. "That waterfall was a manmade creation from a former Jonin of the village for the sake of this training. Mr. Uzumaki was told to cut the waterfall in half to prove he was proficient in wind nature."

The crowd of kids erupted into chatter about how cool it was. Luckily for Boruto, no one asked him any questions. A kid he didn't know spoke up and pressed on. "Well, did he do it?"

Shino chuckled. "Naruto Uzumaki is proficient in wind nature." He said giving them their answer. The chatter continued even more vigorously than before.

Boruto was just itching to move on at this point. "You've got to admit, that is pretty cool." Shikadai said with a shrug.

"Yeah, I guess so…" he replied nonchalantly.

"Maybe he'll teach it to you."

Boruto shrugged again. "What's the big deal? It's just a stupid water fall. How would that help me in a fight?"

Finally they began walking again. "I don't know… it would just be cool to do." Shikadai replied.

With yet another shrug, the two fell back into silence following the group of excited kids along. Boruto looked back over his shoulder at the massive waterfall. That had to be impossible to do… right?

* * *

 _ **-At the Academy-**_

They had finally made it back from their venture to their training ground hotspots and everyone was pretty much worn out. In true Shino-sensei fashion however, they were given a pop quiz over the day's events. The assignment itself wasn't a lot of work, it was just the fact that they were getting work at all. It was simple, write two to three sentences explaining three things you've learned today.

Boruto was drawing blanks as he zoned off for most of them, so he just wrote down the ones that annoyed him. Mainly the training locations of his parents and his father's apparent secret training site. When the class rep came around and collected the papers, they were allowed free time to talk.

He was listening to everyone talking about the whole tournament thing going on in a few weeks. It was a common topic around this time. Of course, nothing anyone said would mean anything. Everyone knew who was going to win it. Someone other than Sarada felt the need to point that out.

"I believe my parents have a chance this year more than last." Inojin said disputing the claim. "They have been training together for a while now."

"So have mine!" said Chocho. "They're definitely gonna win it this time!"

Sarada didn't want to brag and there really was no need to do so, but they were deluding themselves. She just wouldn't say it out loud. "My dad's got some kind of plan already." Shikadai said. "My mom's been naggin' him forever about why they keep losing. I think he's actually gonna try this time."

"Tch, that'd be the day." Boruto said slyly causing a few of the others who knew the man to chuckle including Shikadai.

"Well, what about your parents?" asked Inojin. "Your father is widely hailed as a hero. That must mean he's strong."

Boruto shrugged and looked away quickly. "Yeah I guess."

"Oh man!" yelled a random kid Boruto didn't really know. "Is your dad gonna be in it!? That would be so cool!" he yelled, being joined by a majority of the other kids who began asking Boruto questions again.

Boruto was about to explode before Shino finally called the class to a close. He sighed in exhaustion and escaped the badgering questions of his classmates. Rubbing his neck, he and Shikadai walked out, ignoring the others. On the way down the hall, Shikadai's father walked out of the front office.

"Oh, Shikadai, Boruto." He greeted them with a lazy wave.

"Dad? What are you doing here?" he asked.

Shikamaru sighed. "Ah, Hokage has me running errands for him. Lost a game of drunken Shogi." He said with a chuckle. "You ready to go?" he asked figuring he'd walk home with his son.

Shikadai shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. Bye, Boruto."

Boruto waived to the two and began walking towards the exit right behind them before he heard his name being called. Turning around, it was Shino calling him from the classroom door. With a groan he walked back towards him. "Yes, sensei?" he asked.

"I apologize for impeding your journey home, but could you please run these down to the office for me on your way out?" he asked handing him a stack of papers. Boruto shrugged and took it.

After delivering the stack of papers, he walked out of the academy and stared up into the late afternoon sky. The front of the academy was fairly empty with a few people waving at someone posted up on the wall behind him. He didn't care to turn around as he continued toward the gate.

"Boruto." A familiar voice called out to him.

Turning around, it was his dad walking towards him. "…What are you doing here?" he asked him in confusion.

Naruto smiled at him. "Oh, I came to pick you up!" he quipped with a thumbs up.

Boruto looked confused but went along with it. "Oh… ok?" he said falling into step with the man on their way into the streets of Konoha. Immediately, Boruto noticed the waves they were receiving. He looked around at all of the villagers who were clapping and greeting his father in absolute joy. His father gave everyone a smile and waved at each of them. He found it weird but didn't speak on it. There weren't many people out right now so their pace wasn't necessarily impeded by the constant shouts of praise.

Seeing this though, there was definitely some kind of truth to the stories he was told. Not even Kakashi or his pseudo uncle Sasuke garnished this level of praise. They were two of the most powerful shinobi Konoha has ever produced. Their stories were told all around the world, so what could this man have done to garnish this much praise?

It seemed like an appropriate level of admiration for someone who had saved the village, or possibly the world on multiple occasions like they claimed he had. But, looking at him, he didn't seem like all that much. Could he really be that strong? Could he really split a waterfall in half with just his chakra? That would be cool to see. Maybe the stories were just exaggerated but his father just played a big role in all of them. It seemed more reasonable. I mean, he couldn't knock this level of endearment the villagers had for him.

Nearing the apartment, Boruto looked at the blonde man in confusion, wondering if he was lost. "Hey." He called out to him. "Where are you going?" he asked him.

Naruto looked back at him confused for a second before his mind caught up to him and he realized Boruto didn't know yet. With a smile, he decided to make it a surprise. "Follow me. I want to show you something." He said gesturing with his head. Boruto was timid at first, he was tired, annoyed by the day's events, and he just plain didn't like this guy, but something convinced him.

They walked and walked until they were on the street that housed most of the wealthy families and clans of the village. Most of his friends. Were they visiting someone? He followed him until they reached a gate of a two story house that Boruto had never really cared to look at when he was visiting his friends. It was a very nice house though. Naruto walked forward and Boruto questioned who lived here, because the yard was a complete wreck. With an unattended garden and uncut grass, it completely contrasted how nice the house was.

Making it to the porch, Naruto opened the door, and stepped aside letting Boruto go in first. Boruto stepped over the threshold and looked inside. The sight he saw confused him and amazed him all at once. His mother and sister were sitting on the floor looking through boxes, unpacking the pictures from their apartment. "…welcome home, Boruto." Naruto said softly.

The smaller blonde looked up into his eyes with a confused expression. This was his home? He took a timid step in at which point the two ladies noticed him. "Boruto!" yelled Himawari shooting up from her spot and rushing him. He gave her a timid smile and caught her as she plowed into his chest.

"Hey Hima." He said looking around at this amazing place.

Himawari was bouncing in excitement. "You see our house!? It's huge!" she yelled dramatically. He gave her his best attempt at a smile and nodded his head, not trusting his voice at the moment. "You wanna see my room!?" she asked him grabbing at his hand. Boruto just let her drag him as he glanced around at all the apparent new stuff they had.

Hinata smiled as she placed the last picture onto the shelf she was working on. She chuckled watching the small ball of energy pulling Boruto up the stairs. "Slow down Hima." She called out gently receiving a muffled 'yes ma'am' in reply. Shaking her head she turned to her husband who was walking up behind her.

He wrapped his hands around her and pulled her in for a sudden kiss. She sighed when they parted, a smile spreading across her face. He was giving her a goofy look that she couldn't describe. "What?" she asked him suddenly.

He shook his head. "Nothing." He replied still holding onto her. "We're home Hinata… we're finally home." She smiled again and pecked his lips softly.

"It definitely feels like it." She said playing with the hairs on the back of his head. He had gotten it shaven down to where it was when he left. It looked nice.

"Well, we've still got a lot to unpack first." He said looking around at all of the boxes placed around the room.

Hinata gave him an incredulous look. "We?" she asked. "You are still supposed to be resting." She said wiggling out of his grip to find another box.

Naruto just chuckled. "Ah, I'm fine Hinata. Just a little sore is all." He said stretching his body out dramatically with groans of effort.

Hinata gave him an unconvinced look. "Yeah I'm sure." She replied slyly. "She walked over to him and bent down to point at his stomach. "He's not lying to me is he Kurama?"

She looked back up at Naruto to see his features had become more animalistic. A much deeper voice than Naruto's spoke. **"Heh, of course the idiot's lying."** The fox said shutting his eyes and shaking his head. **"Do me a favor and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid for the next two days at least. I'm trying to catch up on sleep."** He said.

Hinata smiled and nodded at him. "Will do." She said. "It's nice to see you again Kurama… well, hear you." She corrected.

He smiled. **"Yeah, yeah, you too."** He replied before giving control back to Naruto. Naruto shook his head. "He was joking. I'm completely fine now."

Hinata just chuckled "Yeah ok. Well, just to make sure, you won't be doing anything for the next few days." She said opening another box, ignoring his child-like protests, and giggling at his antics.

* * *

 _ **-Upstairs-**_

Boruto opened the door Himawari pointed out as his room. Inside was all of his stuff and then some. Everything was so neat, and… he had a computer! There was a note on his desk, but he ignored it as he examined the rest of the room. There was a box full of posters, a new pair of shoes and a cool black and red jacket on his bed. When he saw everything, he finally turned his attention to the note.

 _Dear Boruto,  
Hey, it's your dad. I'm not really sure why I wrote this. If I walked you to your room than it would really make no sense for this to be here, but whatever. I wasn't sure what you would need for a room so I asked Shikamaru and he said some of the basics were clothes, a computer, and posters. I assumed it would be appropriate as that's what his son has and what not. I was going to wait for you to get home so that you and I could just go out and get you stuff, but I wanted it to be a surprise. So, instead your mother and I went and she told me a little more about you.  
I hope you like the posters I picked out. They have that Kagemasa guy on them. I heard it was your favorite movie. Sorry, I'm rambling on. Oh and one more thing. I also got you one of those little hand held game things too. I saw it at Shikamaru's house so when I passed it in the store, I figured you'd probably like one as well. Your mom didn't want me to get you one because she said you'd become spoiled, so I hid it in the top right drawer of your desk. If she finds it, you didn't get it from me!_

By the end of the letter, a small smile crept its way onto Boruto's face. When he realized he quickly coughed into his hand, trying to play it off even though no one was around. He sat on his bed and stared around the room again before looking at the handle of the hidden location. It was so tempting… too tempting.

He stood up and opened the aforementioned drawer and pulled out the game. It was brand new. The batteries were already in it too. He turned it on and instantly got lost in the game.

* * *

 _ **-Downstairs-**_

Naruto and Hinata were now setting the table for dinner. They were discussing the tournament and if they should even participate. "I mean, I have only been training occasionally on the weekends." Hinata said feeling a bit ashamed. "I was just so overrun with work."

Naruto just shrugged. "Ah, it's just shaking off the rust." Naruto said. "We've got two weeks, we can train during that time." He suggested. "I'm sure Hanabi would like to spar with you to get you ready. She is doing the single tournament isn't she?"

Hinata thought it over. "Yeah, I believe so. I'll talk to her tomorrow. It would be nice to finally catch up with her." She said, finishing laying the food out. "What about you? Are you sure you'll be able to fight?"

He gave her that ever present Naruto toothy smile and sent her a thumbs up. "Come on Hinata, you saw those injuries. Kurama's already done healing me. Now, it's just soreness. It'll work itself out by next week."

She smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "Could you get Boruto?" she asked as Naruto nodded. He walked through the living room pinching Himawari's cheek as she sat on the couch with her colors and notepad. She giggled but ignored his antics in favor of finishing her current piece of artwork.

Jogging up the stairs, he walked up to Boruto's door. Giving two sharp knocks he swung it open with a call of, "Yo." Boruto was laying on his bed and quickly tried to hide the game in his hands until he saw who it was. Naruto noticed his panic and chuckled. "Hey, it's just me, buddy." He said walking in to see that nothing had really been done. He hadn't even hung his posters yet. "So uh, you like the uh.. the game?" he asked pointing to the device in his hands.

Boruto looked at it awkwardly as if he didn't feel comfortable having it in his presence. "Oh.. yeah." He quipped up sending him a brief flash of a smile.

"I uh, I hope you like your room…" Naruto said, sounding a bit more awkward than he meant to. "I swung by Shikamaru's house and he showed me what uh.. Shikadai's room looked like. I know you guys are close friends and all so, I just kind of figured you'd be into the same type of stuff." He said basically restating what he wrote in his letter.

Boruto nodded to the blonde man not fully trusting his voice. He resigned to responding with short 'yeah's' and 'uhuh'. Finally he stopped talking and Boruto cleared his throat, figuring he'd have to say something at this point. Coughing into his hand, he said a quick, "Thank you…" It was said so lowly and awkwardly that he almost didn't get it out.

Naruto smiled at him. "No problem. Well, hey you're mom wants us downstairs for dinner." He said pointing towards the door. At that Boruto's heart stopped. Dinner? With all four of them and just them? He quickly nodded and stood up. Naruto was looking at him with a smile that was creeping him out. He sent him an awkward look right back. What was he looking at? Naruto seemed to finally snap back to reality as he shook his head. "o-Oh, sorry. I was staring. That was kinda weird ya know!" he said scratching the back of his head, something that Boruto himself did all the time.

The blonde man had finally begun walking out of the room. Boruto stashed his new game into its previous hiding spot as he walked out the door. When he made it downstairs, he paused on the last step seeing everyone else already sitting down, they were waiting on him. His watering eyes, were dealt with immediately as he used his sleeve to wipe his face.

He walked up to the table and joined them with a completely new attitude to this whole 'dad' thing. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. He still didn't like him, but there was definitely improvement happening because of his presence. He was at least glad things were looking up for his mother and sister. That's all that really mattered.


	6. Chapter 6

**Implausible Tales chapter 6**

 _Crouching down in a tree, Naruto stared down at the huge wolf below. It has been a few weeks since he's been here. A few weeks of failed attempts at escaping this unnatural dimension and he hadn't had a single thing to eat other than a few berries. His animalistic instincts had long since demanded meat. The only creatures here were predators, no doubt a way to assist in his training. Of course, they weren't just any ordinary predators either. They were oversized monsters that seemed just as interested in hunting him as he was in them._

 _Finally he had his chance at a solo takedown. This one seemed to be the runt of the pack and was deserted here in this section of the small wooded area. In a way Naruto felt kind of bad for it, but his hunger wasn't as sympathetic. He needed protein and this would last him at least a week, possibly two. As an added handicap to his already difficult training, Zetsu seemed to cut off his chakra._

 _With no weapons and no chakra, it meant this task alone would have to be done with his bare hands. It would also have to be done extremely quietly for fear of the other wolves hearing the struggle. These woods were very small._

 _Crouching lower on the tree, he clenched and unclenched his hands as he stared down at the black furred wolf that was at least twice the size of Akamaru. This wouldn't be an easy task and it was the first time he's ever killed anything. His hunger was just too much to bare at the moment. Shaking his head, he mentally remarked how bad of an idea this was before he dropped from the tree._

 _He clamped his arms around the neck of the wolf and clenched as hard as he could, hanging on as it thrashed around wildly. The beast slammed into tree after tree and even threw itself on the ground trying to shake him off. Naruto just held firm, choking it as hard as he could. With his ear to the back of its neck, he could hear it struggling to breath and it hurt his own heart. Regardless, he clenched harder and harder. Finally, it began slowing down before it finally fell forward onto its snout. Naruto continued to hold on for a few more moments, trying to make sure it was dead. As an extra precaution, he grabbed the front of its snout and the back of its head and broke its neck with a sickening crunch._

 _When that was done, he fell off to the side of it and stared at its lifeless form. He just took a life. A fictitious life created by Zetsu, but still. He killed something and it made him want to throw up. Hearing the howling of the other wolves he remembered the danger of remaining here for too long. Grabbing his kill, he began dragging it as it was way too heavy for him to carry, especially considering he just barely got used to the gravity himself._

 _Reaching the edge of the foliage, he turned to the dessert behind him. Wiping the sweat from his face, he grabbed the wolf's ankles again and began dragging him through the sand. His heart jumped when five more wolves roughly the same size as the one at his feet crept out of the foliage of trees. He stepped back slightly, staring down what he deduced as the pack leader who came the closest._

 _It was all white and it was staring at him intently, but for whatever reason, it didn't move. It remained rooted in its spot, watching him daringly. Still holding the dead wolf by the ankles, he began pulling again and noted how they still had yet to move. Looking down to their paws, he noticed that they were standing at the very edge of the forests floor. Like they couldn't step off of it. Ignoring that fact, he continued dragging his meal away, still locking eyes with the white wolf that refused to back down from his gaze._

* * *

 _Sitting in a cave with a small fire blazing, Naruto took a bite of the slab of meat in his hands, savoring in its taste. It was far from good, but it was something other than the berries he's been eating. Taking another bite, he stared out to the various landscapes he could see from the mouth of the cave. It became apparent that this possibly wasn't even a dimension at all. Rather, a pocket dimension created completely from scratch by Zetsu._

 _Every day there were new landscapes. When he first arrived, there was only a dessert. A few days later and there was the small forest he plucked this wolf from. A few days after that, there was this mountain he took residence in. Then, a few days ago, a small pond with creatures within appeared. It became apparent that this entire ordeal was not a nightmare or a joke._

 _What's more, there were small things here and there that brought back distasteful memories, placed strategically by Zetsu just to piss him off. Like the painting of a pair of Sharingan eyes on the cave wall to his left. They weren't just any Sharingan either, they were a pair of Mangekyou Sharingan which Naruto could distinctly remember belonging to Madara Uchiha._

 _He saw many little images such as that, but Madara seemed to be a reoccurring taunt. He was everywhere Naruto looked and it irked him so. To him, it sent the message that Zetsu would do what Madara couldn't and deal a much bigger blow to the world. This was truly no joke, and Zetsu had every intention of following through with this plan of his._

 _So, he followed the rules he was given and began his training. If Zetsu wanted a fight, then that is exactly what Naruto would be prepared to deliver. He hadn't seen him since he explained his reasoning for the forest, but he would remain on guard. The first chance he got, he'd attack him, now that he could actually move like normal again. It was still sluggish and he tired incredibly quickly, but day by day, he noticed improvement._

 _Staring out towards the new pond, he watched as it reflected the unnatural sky above. The three sun's and the unnatural clouds catching his attention as they always did. His heart ached as he yearned for his family. His mind wondering what they were doing now. A piece of him was hoping they were looking for him, and another hoping they were just enjoying life. He vowed within his mind as he did every day that he would make it back to them. He would make it back…_

* * *

 _ **-Uzumaki House-**_

Staring absentmindedly at the small pond within their back yard reflecting the late morning sky, Naruto didn't realize how long he had been scrubbing the already cleaned dish in his hands. He also didn't notice Hinata sneaking up behind him. "Need some he.." Before she finished her question the dish in his hands clattered against the bottom of the metallic sink, shattering upon impact.

"Oh! Uh, Hinata!" Naruto called out bashfully, shaking the daze he was in. "I'm uh, I'm sorry. I uh." He said picking up the broken glass carefully. Hinata was looking at him strangely. She walked over and placed her hand on his forearm getting his attention.

"Hey-hey-hey, it's fine." She said, nodding at him with very deep eye contact. Slowly, he began to lift his arms away from the sink.

"u-… I'm s…" he tried to say before he just turned and walked towards the trash can to throw away the shattered pieces within his hands.

Hinata stared at him with worry written across her face. "You ok?"

"Yeah." He quipped up immediately. "Yeah I'm fine. I just uh.. spaced out a little bit ya know?" he said scratching the back of his head. "Is Himawari out of the tub yet?" he asked looking towards the stairs.

Hinata noticed how uncomfortable he seemed but decided to ignore it for now. "Yeah, she's just getting dressed." Hinata said, slowly grabbing the rest of the glass shards.

Naruto nodded his head a little too eagerly as if he didn't want there to be any time between his reply for her to ask a question. "So uh, how was the training today?" he asked trying to change the subject and extending his bandaged hand for Hinata to place the remaining shards of glass.

Hinata of course noticed the unusual tactic, but decided not to address it. "It was uh… It was good." She said as she started washing the rest of the dishes. "I'm finally starting to get back in the swing of it." It's been a full week since she began the endeavor of getting back into shape with the help of her sister during very early morning training and it's been going very well. "We did a few spars and I won two out of three."

Naruto smiled when she looked his way. "That's great." He quipped happily. "We'll win that tournament without a doubt then."

"How are you feeling today?" she asked, inquiring about his lingering soreness that was taking a bit longer than usual to heal.

Naruto chuckled and stretched his arms out, swinging them around with a playful grunt. "Ugh, barely even noticeable now. I feel great." That was the truth. There was just a latent feeling of tightness in his muscles yesterday, but now it was almost completely gone.

Hinata smiled. "That's great. Then you can definitely make that father's day activity at the Academy for Boruto." She said confusing him.

"What do you mean?" he asked in confusion.

Hinata looked back at him with a complexed expression herself. Nodding her head, she told him. "Today is father's day."

Naruto held his confused expression all the same.

"Did he not tell you?" she asked. "I thought they were supposed to be writing letters." She said under her breath. "Sakura told me about it a few days ago. They were supposed to write their father's a formal letter, inviting them to attend class with them for the day."

"What!? Why didn't you tell me!?" he asked, comically frantic.

Hinata just raised her eyebrow and shrugged. "I thought you were just feeling sore and didn't feel like going." She admitted.

Naruto groaned amusingly and ran towards the door. Swiveling out of the way of the fully dressed Himawari, he sat on the small indented area in front of the door and put his sandals on. "Daddy? Where are you going?"

Naruto turned her way, still frantically shoving his feet into his black footwear. "I'm going to the academy with Boruto for the day!" he told her with a smile.

She raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were coming with me to the hospital." She said, sounding a bit dejected by his missing her first visit since she left.

Hinata came to his rescue. "It's okay Hima." She said rubbing her shoulders. "Daddies just going to make sure Boruto is doing well in school. When he gets home, we can tell him how the visit went." She said, reassuring her everything would be fine.

With that being all she needed, Himawari shrugged her shoulders and continued on with whatever task she had set her sights on before. Naruto smiled at her and nodded to Hinata as he stood to his feet. "I'll see you later." He said leaning forward and peeking her cheek.

Hinata nodded and watched him from the doorway as he ran and leaped the fence in apparent excitement. It made her happy to see how hard he was trying to be a good father, not aware that he was already a great one. Shaking her head, she turned and shut the door to get ready herself.

* * *

 _ **-At the Academy-**_

"Then, it turns out that this one was one of the white clones as well!" said Kiba leaning on Akamaru who barked in agreement. "It was like they just came out of nowhere! Which of course they did. And when we were seemingly getting overrun, I looked to my left to see Shino-sensei here covered completely by the enemy clones, so me and Akamaru here busted out our special combo move that decimated them quickly! When we finally saved his life, our next task was…"

Kiba began to drone on and on about this particular instance in the war that Sasuke was fairly sure he exaggerated. Of course his mind wondering why the talkative liar was even here. He sat at the very top row with all of the other fathers who were watching their kids with a sharp eye. The seat to his left was occupied by Shikamaru who was on the verge of sleep listening to this ridiculously drawn out tale of heroics. The seat to his right remained empty as he told everyone who tried to claim it he was holding it for a friend. A friend that didn't even bother to show up.

Looking down a few more rows, he could Sarada sitting between Chocho and a bored looking Boruto who stared out the window. In a way, his demeanor seemed quite sad. Sasuke wondered what Naruto could be doing to miss something like this. Of course he was new to the recently adapted customs, but surely Boruto told him. Or maybe Hinata? He received his answer in the form of the slip of paper hanging out of his jacket pocket. He couldn't be sure, but he could guess it was probably the note they were supposed to give to their father's today.

"Seven years sure can take a toll huh?" Shikamaru asked, noticing the same thing he was staring at. He was easily able to deduce the animosity between Boruto and his father, having seen them together just recently.

Sasuke nodded. "Maybe we should have told him." He suggested.

Shikamaru just shrugged his shoulders. "Nah, he'll be here soon anyways." Sasuke almost dared asked him how he knew that, but opted out of it. Figuring he was probably correct.

"o-Okay Kiba." Shino said, ending his ranting tale of things he was certain never happened. Or at the least, not the way he was describing it. "I think that's enough." He said nodding his way. "We've got to get outside for the taijutsu demonstration.

"Yosh!" Lee said, jumping from his seat. "Now, the time has come for the youthful Metal Lee to show his abilities in the art of unstoppable taijutsu! Isn't that right son!?" The kid in question shunned in fear of being put under such a spotlight.

"You are much too loud Lee." Sai scrutinized from his side.

Lee noticed the other kids giggling as his son hid his face. "U-.. My apologies. I am just full of youth! As my Sensei before me, I am determined to live it to the fullest!"

"Oh, so this is the right class." Said a new voice from the doorway. Everyone turned and gasped at the figure stepping into the room. Naruto waved at the murmuring kids who stared at him with star-stricken eyes.

"Naruto." Shino quipped, ignoring the uproar of the kids who were all commenting on how much he looked like Menma. Or rather how much Menma looked like him. "It has been far too long." He said extending his hand.

Naruto gave him a smile and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, Shino. How's it going? Sensei now huh?"

Shino nodded his head with a smile. "Indeed. I have become a teacher. Why? Because I feel I am able to guide this younger generation towards their future in the field."

Boruto watched from his seat in shock. Why was he here? He never gave him the letter. He was planning on saying he simply forgot about the whole ordeal. Well, that was the excuse he gave to Shino-sensei and Sarada when they questioned him about where his guest was when he arrived. Speaking of which, Sarada's eyes were on him in questioning, along with all of his other awestricken classmates.

"I thought you said you forgot to give him the letter." She said raising her eyebrow.

Boruto's shock wore off and his visage settled into one of annoyance when he briefly locked eyes with Naruto. He turned to the window to his left and rested his chin on his palm while he stared out at nothing in particular. "I did." He answered flatly. Sarada and the rest of the kids looked back to Naruto as he and Shino talked.

Sasuke and Shikamaru watched the impressively timed arrival with smirks on their faces. "Guy sure knows how to make an entrance huh? Tch, how troublesome." The lazy Nara said rubbing his neck. "Back for just a few weeks and he's showing all of us up."

Sasuke grunted and crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned back on his seat. "Naruto's flames of youth are so bright he inspires the flames of the children by his mere presence alone!" Lee said in astonishment.

"As a war hero, and more locally known village hero, Naruto is bound to garnish praise from all generations." Sai said informatively.

With a mouth full of food, Choji nodded. "Yup, even before he disappeared the people loved him."

"He's the village Hero for a reason." Sasuke chided in. "It's only to be expected." Naruto caught sight of his friends and waved from his spot down below as he shook Kiba's hand.

When Kiba and Akamaru tread up to their seats up top, Shino quieted the class down and drew their attention. "Now, it would seem that the guest of honor was able to make it after all." He said gesturing over to the orange clad man who waved at the wide eyed children. "I will allow him to introduce himself as well as possibly tell a tale of his past." Shino said nodding his way as he stepped back and took a seat in a chair off to the side.

Naruto coughed into his hand to clear his throat. "Umm, hello. My name is Naruto Uzumaki and I'm uh.. Boruto's.. father." he said nodding over to the blonde boy who wasn't interested in anything he said as he continued to look out the window. "I uh… I've been gone for a while on a bit of a ah… a special mission." He said giving a somewhat honest answer.

"Are you gonna tell us about one of your amazing adventures?" Asked Inojin having heard a few from his father. "My father speaks quite highly of you."

Naruto nodded to him and looked up to Sai. "Well, thanks." He said with a smile receiving the same curtesy. "Uh… well as for an adventure I've had…" he said trying to think of what he could tell them. He's had more than a few spectacular adventures he could talk about, so which would be a cool story to tell. He didn't want to embarrass Boruto with a boring story, so which one would be best?

"Tell the one when you saved the village!" yelled out a random kid he didn't know.

"No! The one where you saved the Rokudaime Hokage!" another yelled.

"Or the one where you saved the Kazekage!" Soon, the room erupted into the kids shouting out roughly titled tales from his past that he was amazed they even knew about. He chuckled and stared around the room at all the kids, trying to pick the story that seemed to get the most praise.

Shino quickly quieted the class down. "Naruto shall decide on which adventure he is willing to speak with you all about." He said. "So, Naruto. I urge you to choose your most memorable adventure."

Naruto sighed and stared at the ground in thought. Slowly, his eyes traveled through the crowd of expectant children until they landed on Boruto who quickly looked away. Naruto lingered on him for a second before nodding his head.

"Uh, ok. I got one." He said taking a seat in the stool that was placed there for the speaker. "Uh… ok well. I was nineteen and I uh… I had just gotten back from a wedding in Kumo late one night. I had to go alone because my wife was pregnant with Boruto at the time. When I returned, I ran into Sasuke up there who told me she was in the hospital as she was nearing the end of her pregnancy."

Sasuke grinned, now realizing what the story was.

"Of course I wanted to go and see her after being away so long, but per Mr. Uchiha's superb advice, I went home to rest with the plan to see her first thing in the morning. As luck would have it, she uh.. she went into labor later on that night and I was woken up by Shikamaru of all people."

Shikadai grinned and looked up at his father.

"He looked so frantic that I thought something was wrong. Especially because it was him." He said, making fun of the fact of his laziness receiving chuckles from everyone who knew him. "So, I just take off immediately. In nothing but pants, I mean, I was just so determined to get there that I didn't even grab a shirt or my sandals. Of course, on the way, I step on a shard of glass that cut deeply into my foot. When I stepped on it, I fell and rolled into the side of a dumpster injuring my hand as well." The kids were laughing at his misfortune.

The parents were all murmuring to themselves as well, recalling the hectic night.

Naruto just smiled and nodded his head, letting them have their fun. "Yeah-yeah. Ha-ha." He mocked playfully. When they finally calmed down, they listened in to hear the rest of the story. "It's not an epic story or anything, but uh… basically I ended up in the hospital bed next to my wife while she gave birth." He said kicking up a few lingering chuckles.

"That was really your most memorable memory?" asked Shikadai, unconvinced a story that plain would warrant such a title. "My dad has told me better tales from just your childhood." He argued.

"Yeah." Sarada added. She enjoyed his comical tale, but they all wanted to hear something amazing. "My dad tells me about the mission your team went on when you were a Genin."

"Sarada." Sasuke called out from the top, telling her to be respectful from just his look. She relented and sat back in her seat.

"No it's ok Sasuke." Naruto said, adjusting his positioning on his seat. He stared down to the wooden floor thinking of what to tell the two. "This uh… well, this story is my most memorable, not because of the accident, but more for the events after." He said nodding to them. "I was drugged up in order for the doctors to remove the glass from my foot, and when I woke up, Boruto there was already born." He said with a smile directed to the boy who looked away quickly as if it were a sin to be caught looking. "He was crying in the Hokage's arms and when I sat up to hold him… as soon as Kakashi-sensei placed him in my arms he just… he stopped crying almost instantly… He held my thumb with his little hands… and I just… It was a very special night for me." He finished up, hearing the previously dead quiet room erupt into a roar of applause.

Boruto's chin was buried into the crevasse of his bent elbow and he stared outside, pondering the story. In truth, it touched his heart. The way he spoke was so sincere and heartfelt, it was almost like he remembered that day as well.

"Ok class." Shino said, quieting everyone down. "Please give a show of appreciation to Mr. Uzumaki." He said, inciting another round of applause that died out far quicker. "Now, if you will all make your way out to the training area on the east side of the building. Why? We will be having a taijutsu demonstration to display your abilities to your parents."

Quickly, everyone began funneling out regrouping with their respective parents and directing them to the destination. Every kid that passed by Naruto who was still at the front of the class stopped to give him a high five and all of the fathers shook his hand in greeting. He smiled at all of them and made sure to make eye contact with everyone.

Finally Sasuke, Sarada, and Boruto made their way down. "Flashy as always Dobe." Sasuke mocked with a grin as he held onto Sarada's shoulder.

"Ah, snarky as always Teme." He replied bumping fists with him. After greeting Sarada with a handshake, he turned to Boruto who was waiting patiently. "Hey buddy." He said with a smile as Sasuke and Sarada headed on ahead behind Shino. "I'm sorry I'm late." He said scratching his head. "Your mom didn't tell me until after you left."

"i-…" Boruto tried to say, but couldn't seem to get his words out. Without saying anything, he pulled the letter out of his pocket and held it out to him. "I uh… I forgot to give this to you..." he said with a somber expression. "Sorry…"

Naruto took it timidly and opened it up. Reading the contents, his smile slowly rose, little by little. He rubbed Boruto's head and smiled down at him. "Don't worry about it Buddy! It's a good thing I came, huh." He said with a thumbs up. Boruto gave him a small smile in reply and nodded his head.

* * *

 _ **-At the Hospital-**_

Sakura's green shrouded hands hovered over Himawari's abdomen while Hinata stared at the gentle flow of her chakra using her Byakugan. "What do you see?" Sakura asked.

Hinata shrugged her shoulders. "It's a bit weaker than it was this morning… It's still flowing normally, it's just not as intense.. drastically less vibrant." She explained.

Sakura nodded and squinted. "Ok, let's take a step back." She said cutting her chakra. Hinata's Byakugan cut off and Himawari ignored them completely in favor of the toys in her hands. "When exactly did it begin to start flowing normally?" Sakura asked.

Hinata stopped to think about it. "It was uh… last week… a few hours before Naruto showed up I guess." She said, hearing how connected it sounded when she said it that way.

Sakura seemed to catch onto that hunch of hers as well and turned back to Himawari. "Hey, Hima?" She asked, getting the little girls attention. "How are you feeling right now?"

Himawari seemed to think about it for a few seconds. "I feel a little tired… and my tummy hurts a little…" she said seeming to finally pay attention to the things happening in reality.

Sakura nodded and wrote that down in her notes. Hinata rubbed her head as she began to play with her toys again. "When do you feel the best?" Sakura asked her, squatting down and resting her arms on the edge of the table as a way to get closer to her. There was no other way to word the question and she hoped Himawari understood.

She looked up to the white ceiling in thought. "When daddy holds me." She said cutely. Hinata smiled at her and rubbed her cheek.

Sakura however was only reassured if only a little bit. She needed more to make the assumption accurate. "How does it make you feel good?" she asked her.

Himawari thought it over again. "…It feels warm and it feels good… aaand fuzzy." She said trying to give her best description.

Sakura nodded and wrote that down as well. With her assumption virtually solidified, she stood up and finished the document on the clipboard. "Ok, Hima. Could you just wait right here while your mom and I go talk in the hall?" she asked, receiving a nod of confirmation from the little girl. She smiled down at her and rubbed her arm on the way out.

When they were in the hall, Sakura reviewed the notes once again. "What do you think it is?" Hinata asked as she peeked at the paper.

Sakura sighed and finished signing it. "Well, it's almost too obvious now." She said. "I mean, she got better when Naruto returned, when he's near she's in perfect health. When he's not she feels a little sick. So it's got to be his chakra that is somehow connected to this." She deduced.

"Well, how is that possible? He was in a completely different dimension for all of her life." Hinata pointed out. "She'd be dead already if that were the case."

Sakura thought it over. "Well not necessarily. As children, the small bit of chakra that circulates throughout us all in our prepubescent years is mainly made up of the combined chakra of our parents. In theory, I think it's been your chakra keeping her alive all this time. Given her size and lowest condition to date, I assume she would've lasted another year at the most had Naruto not returned." She said giving her a little insight.

Hinata nodded. "Well, what can we do about this? I mean, she can't just be around us twenty four seven. Not forever at least." Hinata said. "If she needs both of our chakra to fuel her, than what is there to do? Some kind of… chakra transplant?"

Sakura shook her head and thought it over. What could be done in a situation like this? She would need contact with both of their chakra continuously if she were to remain in perfect health. What could be done in a situation like this? Scratching the bottom of her chin in thought, she thought back to her old sensei, wondering what she would do in a situation like this.

Hinata's chakra transplant idea wasn't a bad idea, it was just implausible to perform such a procedure on a child so young. If Tsunade was here, she'd tell her to find a different angle. There was always more than a single solution. If it wasn't something that could be done internally, then it would go without saying that there had to be some sort of external solution.

Like a practiced motto, she repeated over and over in her head, 'what would she do, what would she do?' Until finally, an idea hit her. "That's it." She said with a smile. Hinata gave her a questioning look, clearly wanting to know what it was she decided on doing. Sakura smile and nodded her head as if telling her things would be fine from now on. "It's not what Tsunade would do…"

(Cliffy)


	7. Chapter 7

**Implausible Tales chapter 7**

 _ **-Hospital- chakra treatment room**_

"So, I just have to funnel my chakra into this?" Naruto asked holding onto the little orange necklace.

Sakura nodded her head. "Yes. That should do the trick. It's sort of like the necklace Tsunade gave to you all those years ago. As long as Himawari wears it, it will be like maintaining contact with you twenty four seven." She explained. "Hinata has already made hers so we're just waiting on yours to test it out. Make sure there's just a smidge of Kurama's chakra in it as well."

Naruto nodded and began pushing his chakra in. The little stone vibrated in his hand and lit up in a vibrant orange hue. After a while, he opened his palm and the stone slowly died out until it solidified in a beautiful orange tinted crystal. Sakura placed it back onto the necklace and handed it to him. "I don't understand the science of all this, but if you say it'll work, then I trust you." He said nodding her way.

"It'll work you idiot. Just make sure she understands she has to wear it at all times." Sakura informed him handing over the slip of paper she finished signing to Hinata. "Take that to the front and have it signed and you're free to go." She said before stopping Naruto.

"We'll wait for you in the front." Hinata told him on her way out. Naruto nodded and turned to see what it was Sakura wanted.

She stared at him for a second as if she were waiting for him to ask her something. "Was therrre something you needed?" he asked her curiously.

Sakura tilted her head. "Are you ok, Naruto?" she asked peculiarly. With a tone implying she assumed he wasn't.

Naruto thought it over and nodded sharply. "Yeah… yeah, I'm fine.. why?"

Sakura stared at him, seeming to be unconvinced by his answer. "Hinata says you've been spacing out…"

Naruto paused, figuring that this is what it was about. "… Uh, yeah. I just… Just sometimes, I have to step back and look around a bit… ya know?... I mean…. I'm home…" he said, holding his hands out wide and smiling as bright as ever.

Sakura smiled back to him and nodded. "Ok, but… Naruto if there's anything wrong… like.. maybe nightmares or something… Sasuke and I are always here to help."

He nodded quickly. "Mhm. Of course Sakura. Thanks for that." He said on his way to the door. "But, really. I'm fine. It's just really great to be back." He said as he walked out of the room, ready to get out of the scrutinizing and impromptu session. Sakura said nothing to impede his exit, she just watched him leave before she began cleaning the room.

* * *

 _ **-At the Burger Shop-**_

Shikadai and Boruto sat in a booth with their hand-held devices out as they played each other in some kind of game, speaking only when necessary. The trash from their finished meals in front of them still scattered across the table. A stranger atmosphere than usual encompassed the establishment as there were people sneaking glances their way.

"So, he said he was going to train you?" Shikadai asked from behind his screen.

Boruto shrugged and quickly pulled a hand away to take a sip of his half emptied drink. "Yeah. He seemed so thrilled about me coming in third place." He chided sarcastically.

Shikadai shrugged back. "You only lost to two people and one of them was his own daughter, who he's been training forever."

"So." He replied with a bitter tone. "I looked like a total loser in front of my d-…" he murmured, incoherently saying the last part before he realized what he was saying. When he looked up, Shikadai was looking at him, clearly not hearing him. "My sensei… Sasuke-sensei … I mean, he hasn't really taught me anything… ever… but now he definitely won't."

Shikadai raised an eyebrow at the situation. "Well, just ask your dad to train you. He seems pretty cool." He said going back to his game.

Boruto shrugged and did the same. "I don't know… he's always busy… and he doesn't even do anything. It's just that he gets a visit from someone new every day. It's like the whole village can't wait to meet him."

"Man, it's like he's a celebrity." Shikadai remarked. "Which kind of makes _you_ a celebrity by affiliation." He offered jokingly.

"Tch, I know. It's weird." Boruto said looking around at the sneaky glances he knew he was getting. "No one really noticed me before. But, now that he's back, all of a sudden my mom and I are somehow valuable."

"I'm surprised you're complaining." Shikadai admitted, looking at him in curiosity. "I mean, you're like the coolest kid in the village now. You've always been about the spotlight."

"Yeah, but for the things I do. Not for what my old man supposedly did." He argued. "They didn't care about us when it was just us, so why start now?"

Shikadai understood his reasoning, but still, he would have assumed Boruto would take advantage of a situation like this. Instead it didn't seem like he cared much for the sudden boost in popularity or the fact that he had a dad. "Yeah… I guess I see your point." He replied going back to his game. "Still seems cool." He said lowly.

Boruto continued absentmindedly playing his game. There was definitely some truth to Shikadai's thinking. He had always pined for the seat of popularity but he was always overshadowed for favor of Sarada, Inojin, or even Shikadai himself. They were all from famous families as well which is where most of their recognition came from, but Boruto didn't want that. The reason being that his mother's name didn't seem to mean much if that was how popularity was decided, and secondly, it didn't seem like it would mean much to be praised for the actions of your family alone.

And even if it did, he has his father's last name and his looks. Did he not deserve any respect before because they thought he was some kind of bastard child? Why was his father's presence magically enough to make them see him as something more than just an ordinary everyday kid walking on the street? He used to go through the streets with nothing more than a few nods or smiles his way. Now, every time he steps out the door someone is there to greet him or to ask him for a picture. It was more than he could handle at the moment.

Of course, when all these thoughts came to mind, he always went back to the pluses. Those being his sisters health, his mother's newly found happiness, and their overall well-being. There was no longer any fear resting in his heart about his mom returning to service because she no longer had a need to. In other words, she would always be there for him and Himawari now. That's all he's ever wanted.

Well, yeah when he was younger, he longed for a dad as well, but those feelings were gone. Not that he didn't want one, he just no longer cared if he were there or not anymore. In fact, now that everything was essentially back to normal, he'd prefer it being just the three of them again. But, he was here now, like it or not, and he'd have to get used to it.

He wasn't all bad. He did get them a house, an actual house that was better than some of his friends. He got him some new clothes, this new game, and a load of other stuff, but that was all just stuff. He wouldn't be bought out so easily. No it would take a lot more than that to earn his respect and trust.

* * *

 _ **-Uzumaki House- living room**_

Walking into the living room, Boruto was greeted to Himawari who jumped up to greet him. "Boruto!"

"Hey Hima." He said in reply wrapping her in a hug before he continued in. "Where's mom?"

"She went to go train with Aunt Hanabi." She replied as she strolled behind him.

"Oh. Well, why didn't she take you?" he asked curiously.

Himawari strolled back to her spot on the couch where her toys were scattered about. "I wanted to stay with daddy. He was taking a shower."

Before Boruto could reply, Naruto came jogging down the stairs. "Oh, hey Bolt." He said with a smile. "You're home already huh?"

"Uh.. yeah. Shino-sensei let us go earlier today for some reason." he replied awkwardly.

Naruto nodded to him and looked around. "Uh... well, I don't really have anything to do today.. So, maybe you might want to… train or something?" Boruto's eyes lit up ever so slightly. "I could use a good partner to keep me on my toes for the tournament, ya know?" he said with a hopeful smile.

Boruto was still stunned in silence, unsure if this was really happening. "Uh.. y-.."

Before he could reply, a knock at the door reached their ears. Naruto smiled at him and rubbed his head as he passed him. Opening the door, the Nara family stood in the doorway with a comical look to them. Shikamaru looked exasperated, Temari was in absolute anger, and Shikadai was cradling the bright red hand print that covered half of his face.

"Uhm… come in?" Naruto said stepping to the side with a chuckle at the sight. When Boruto saw who it was, he tried to sink into his jacket as he snuck towards the stairs.

"Where's Hinata?" Temari demanded angrily.

Naruto was looking at Shikadai with a bit of sympathy. "She's training with her sister. Why? What's up?" he asked.

With a sigh Shikamaru responded. "Well, it would seem that our little angel children have skipped school today." He said mockingly.

Naruto raised an eyebrow at that. The look on his face saying it wasn't that big of a deal. "Oh, uh. Well, I'll have to talk to him about that then." He said turning around to see him gone.

"Yeah!" Temari yelled in agreement. "It's like they don't have any common sense! They should know by now that Shino comes to see us when they're out for any reason! I mean, what kind of irresponsibly idiotic reason could they have ha-.." she began a very rage filled rant of belittlement towards her son as she bonked his head with Himawari laughing in the distance.

Naruto just stared at her with fear ridden eyes, for some reason feeling like he was in trouble as well. "I'm really sorry Naruto." Shikamaru said in a deadpanned tone over Temari's screaming rant. "She wanted to make sure Hinata knew in case Shino couldn't find her." He explained further.

Naruto nodded slowly. "Uh, yeah. It's fine. I'll handle it." He said smiling at Temari who finally ended her rage-filled rant. "Thank you very much for informing me Temari."

She stared at him curiously for a few seconds before turning to leave, grabbing onto Shikadai's ear on the way out, ignoring his pain riddled cries for her to stop. "You better!" she called out over her shoulder.

Naruto chuckled at the sight and just truly relished in the fact that he was home as he did with everything he saw that remotely reminded him of something in the past. Shikamaru chuckled as well. "I'm sorry again Naruto." He said shaking his head. "Temari's incredibly strict with him. You should see her and my mom together." He said rubbing the side of his face, imagining the scene.

"Heh, yeah I bet." He said scratching the back of his head.

Shikamaru nodded and thought of something else to say. "Oh, and before I forget. Tomorrow night is the first of the month." He said confusing the blonde. "It's kind of a thing we picked up a few years back. Every first of the month, the guys go out and have dinner just to hang out and all. I don't know if anyone's told you yet, but you are very much expected to go." He said with a nod of his head. "Believe me, even if you don't want to, you will somehow be in attendance."

Naruto smiled and nodded. "No, that sounds great. I'll definitely be there." He quipped happily. "Where's it at?"

"It's at Choji's. Not the greatest I know, but it's free." He shrugged.

Naruto nodded and shook his hand. "Alright, well I'll see you then." He said as Shikamaru turned to leave. "And I hope you're ready for next week." He said as he waved him off.

Shikamaru didn't turn around, simply throwing a lazy "I'm not" over his shoulder as he continued on. Naruto chuckled and shut the door.

* * *

 _ **-Boruto's room-**_

Sitting on the edge of his bed, he fidgeted with his game, trying to seem busy. He could hear the footsteps coming towards his room and each thump told him he was in trouble. Finally, the steps stopped and two sharp knocks rang through the wood of his door. Sighing sadly, he called out "Come in." reluctantly.

Naruto poked his head in to see Boruto sitting on his bed, his face set into a mixture of disappointment and regret. Wordlessly, he walked into the room and shut the door. As he walked further in, he looked around the room and noticed the Kagemasa posters plastered around the walls.

He pulled the chair of Boruto's desk out and took a seat, right in front of him. "Uhm…" he began, not truly knowing what to say here. "So, you skipped class today?" he asked, as if he didn't know.

Boruto sighed and put the game off to the side as he clenched the side of his mattress. He didn't say anything as his head hung down towards his lap.

"I uh… Boruto honestly, my friends and I skipped class all the time, so I definitely understand." He said surprising him. He could see the hope rise in his eyes "I understand it, but I do not approve." He continued, dropping that look of hope almost instantly. "I'm not sure what your mother would do in this situation…"

At the mention of his mom, Boruto slumped down in defeat. He was in big trouble. Big, big trouble.

A pang of sorrow flew through Naruto's heart seeing the look. He was impressed Hinata garnished this level of fear, but seeing it on his son's face wasn't something he was used to yet. "Look." He said sitting up a little straighter to get his point across. "I won't tell her this time." Boruto's tear filled eyes shot up to him in shock and relief. "But, don't let it happen again." He said in a stern voice.

Boruto nodded his head vigorously and wiped his eyes. Remembering the lessons of his mother, he quickly spat out a "Yes sir" showing respect to his father.

Naruto nodded back, liking the fact that he seemed to actually have manners. "Well…" he said standing up and looking around. "I uh… I suppose I shouldn't let that be the end of it." He said. "I guess I have to punish you just a bit." His eyes roamed around until they landed on his game. "Ah." He said picking it up. "Now, you'll get this back.. uh in an hour?" he asked aloud, as if asking Boruto himself. Nodding to himself, he turned to leave.

"Thank you…" Boruto's voice called out from behind him. He stopped at the door and wondered why a kid would be grateful for being punished until he thought back to his old days. When he would sometimes wish for someone to do so. Smiling softly, he left the room.

* * *

 _Jumping as high up as he could, he narrowly avoided the mouth of the unnaturally large snake that tried to swallow him whole. It was roughly as big as Sasuke's summoning snake. It was all black with very black eyes that reflected the unnatural night sky above him. Just when he thought daylight was perpetual, Zetsu adds another factor to make his journey all the more difficult. He was now in a new section of the dimension that resembled a rainforest, fit with the deadly creatures within that only had an appetite for him, and constant rain that beat down around the entirety of the area._

 _Why was he venturing into it? For the present sent for him from his captive that he could see from his cave. It was at the very top of the highest tree that just so happened to be directly in the middle of the rainforest. With no chakra, taking it to the trees was a lot harder than it used to be. Now, he actually had to climb, as they were too high to jump to, too wet to safely use for traveling, and it was too dark to even test it. Instead, he had to stick to the ground._

 _Now, he is in a desperate situation with an enormous snake slithering its way up towards the branch he was kneeling down on. With a brief moment of hesitation, Naruto leaped from the branch and successfully caught the branch a few feet away. Pulling himself up, he saw the snake wrapping around the branch he was just on. Figuring now was his chance to put a little space between the two, he jumped from the tree, momentarily forgetting the overbearing gravity he still wasn't equipped for due to the heated situation._

 _When he landed, he landed hard and rolled with the impact. He flipped in the mud until he was on his back, cringing at the pain in his body. Finally gaining his senses, he picked his head up to look for the snake and to his luck, it was still climbing down the tree. Rolling over, he pushed himself up to his feet and limped away. Looking up at the tree in front of him, he was rethinking his decision to do this, finding it idiotic of himself to even trust the potential 'help' of his enemy. It was incredibly high up, at least a good hundred yards. There was plenty to grab onto and he was sure he could make it, but with the rain and the added weight, it was more than a small risk._

 _Pushing the wet hair out of his face, he looked around and, to his chagrin, found motivation to make it up the tree. A pair of yellow eyes stalked him from the shadow of the trees. Slowly, the creature stepped into the dimly lit moonlight, displaying a panther as big as the wolves in the forest region. Nearly cursing at his misfortune, he wasted no time in rushing up the tree._

 _With a roar, the black cat gave chase, using its claws to climb the tree just beneath him. Naruto used the vines wrapped around the massive tree, occasionally having to jerk his feet up and away from the swiping claws. Finally getting high enough to make use of the surrounding foliage, he did just that. Grabbing onto a vine, he ripped it in half and swung to sturdy enough branch._

 _The panther was hot on his tail and leaped its way over as well. Balancing on the branch, Naruto stared the cat down just a few feet away. It was clinging shakily to the sides of the branch while maintaining their intense eye contact. Naruto put his hands up in a defensive stance and watched as it crouched lower, ready to pounce. When it did, Naruto leaned out of its way slightly and grabbed it beneath its arms so that it couldn't slash. With a twist of his body, he flung it over the side of the branch and watched it roar as it hit the first two branches before he could no longer see it._

 _With a sigh of relief, he looked up to the top of the big tree he had been climbing to see it was just a few feet away. Figuring it'd be stupid to turn around now, he stepped to the edge of the branch gently, praying it didn't break under his weight. When he made it close enough, he looked to the big tree to see a vine on its side. There were no nearby vines, so he would have to make the jump._

 _Rocking back and forth in preparation, he inhaled and exhaled slowly. With another inhale he jumped forward, swinging his arms involuntarily. When he came in range, he clamped down on the vine he was aiming for. Breathing a sigh of relief, he pulled himself up and began climbing again._

 _When he finally made it to the top, there was a convenient branch leading to the unnaturally placed item he saw from his cave, bustling in the wind and rain. It was a black piece of cloth. Grabbing it, he held it out, trying to see what it was regardless of the rain. It was a black hooded cape which would only be essential here of all places. In irritation he breathed a sigh of frustration. He traveled through the only place it was raining to retrieve something to protect him from the rain… great._

 _Looking around, there was also a scroll wedged between the tip of the tree and an upturned twig. Pulling it free, he opened it up and read its content. It was of course from Zetsu. It explained the fact that he was always watching him and that he enjoyed watching him struggle, but if he didn't begin training seriously, he'd just off the world within the next few weeks. He went on to say it was clear to see most of Naruto's time and energy was going into acquiring food so he would supply tools to make the task a bit easier._

 _At the bottom of the scroll was a blood seal. Naruto bit his thumb and smudged it across the seal. To his surprise, two kunai popped out and he quickly caught them both. Holding them in his hands, he looked up to the raining sky and shut his eyes. It wasn't what he expected, but they would definitely make most of his tasks a lot easier. Like getting down for instance._

 _They'd make the task easier, but sadly, not more desirable. He sat down on the branch to catch his breath, putting the hooded cape on over his form to protect him from the beating rain. From the top of this tree, he could see everything from the forest, to the pond, and even his cave. More accurately, the pair of Sharingan eyes which for some reason seemed to be staring right at him. It was like they followed him all the way here. Creepy. Naruto shook his head and shut his eyes as he turned his face up towards the raining sky, letting the water wash his face._

* * *

 _ **-Uzumaki House-**_

Opening his eyes, he was staring into his shower head with the water running through his blonde hair. Spitting the water away from his mouth, he cut the shower off. Stepping out, he grabbed a towel and walked to his mirror. Drying his body off, he examined his reflection. Again, he had to stop and smile at the fact that he was home. There was no greater feeling in the world. Getting dressed in his usual outfit, he walked out and into his room.

Throwing his dirty clothes into the hamper in the corner, he headed out the room. On his way to the stairs, he almost passed by Boruto's room, stopping when he heard the chatter within. Poking his head in, Boruto, Shikadai, and Inojin were too busy playing their games to notice him. He smiled and continued on. When he got downstairs Hinata, Sakura, Temari, and Ino sat around the living room talking about whatever it was they were laughing at while Sarada and Chocho played with Himawari. Shikamaru and Sai stood by the door.

Walking towards Hinata, he wasn't noticed until he was already there. Leaning down, he pecked her on the lips, inciting a round of playful awe's from the others which they simply laughed off. "I'll be back later." He whispered to her as she nodded. With that said, the men bid farewells to the ladies and left the house.

* * *

 _ **-Akimichi grill-**_

Naruto, Sai, and Shikamaru walked into the relatively empty restaurant and instantly spotted their party. The long table was occupied by Sasuke, Kiba, Lee, Shino, and Konohamaru and when they spotted the long lost blond, they shouted his name in cheer. The three of them joined them, leaving one seat remaining, most likely for Choji who was in the kitchen preparing the meal

Naruto took a seat next to Sasuke with Shikamaru plopping down next to him. "Naruto!" yelled Lee from across from him. "I am glad that you have returned! The village was not the same without you!"

Naruto smiled bashfully and waved the statement off. "Tch, I know that's right." Kiba added in. "Now that your back, there's already brighter days."

"Thanks guys." Naruto replied. "It's great to be back."

"Now." Said Konohamaru. "I think we'd all like to know where you've been all this time." He suggested receiving shouts of agreement from everyone. He chuckled and leaned up on the table.

"I am certain it must have been some amazing adventure. Why? Because Naruto is commonly associated with situations of the sort." Shino added on.

"It is quite strange how you always seem to attract trouble." Sai quipped up.

Sasuke grunted. "Trouble attracts Naruto." He said inciting a round of chuckles from the others.

Naruto smiled and shook his head. "I uh… I don't know where to start." He said scratching the back of his head. "I was uh… I was at home with Hinata…" he began. From there, he went on to explain, in detail, the events that led up to him being taken to Zetsu's dimension.

"Zetsu?" Kiba asked. "You mean that white shapeshifting thing from the war?"

Sasuke answered for him. "No, those were 'white' Zetsu's. Merely clones created by Madara using the cells of the first Hokage. The true Zetsu was a creature created by Kaguya to do her bidding." He explained receiving nods of confirmation from the others.

With that said, Naruto continued, explaining what Zetsu demanded from him and what would happen if he didn't follow through. They weren't at all surprised to hear that he saved the world yet again. It was almost a normal thing to hear when dealing with Naruto. By the time he got to where Zetsu created the forest, Choji arrived with the food.

They ate while still listening to Naruto's tale. "You hunted, killed, and ate a giant wolf?" Konohamaru asked incredulously. Naruto nodded his head slowly as if saying it wasn't that hard to understand. Konohamaru shook his head. "You are… impossible!" he said making the others laugh in agreement.

Naruto chuckled and continued on. When everyone was finished with their meal, he was just getting to the forest. "Guys, I don't really want to waste all the time." He said with a chuckle. "I'll just say a lot happened." He finished.

"Oh come on!" Konohamaru bellowed out childishly. "It was just getting good! At least tell us a shortened version of the rest of it." He pleaded.

Naruto looked down in thought, fishing through his head for how to word it. "Uh, well after the fourth year, Zetsu returned and… yeah, I went to war." He said casually, taking another bite of the last bit of food he had left as if what he said was completely casual.

"You went to war… for three years?" Kiba asked incredulously receiving a casual nod from the blonde.

He gulped his food down. "Well, two and a few months. Getting back took some time on its own."

Lee was absolutely amazed. "Naruto! Your flames of youth carried you through the hardship of yet another war!" he shouted out. "I envy your impressive flames!"

Naruto chuckled and thanked the eccentric man. "Well, whatever the case. We're glad you're back." Shikamaru said for everyone.

"I cannot wait to battle you in the up and coming tournament!" Lee continued, kicking off a new topic. "Tenten and I will not lose this year!"

"Well, that is hard to believe. Ino and I are going to win, so you must lose somehow." Sai said with a sly smile.

"You're both delirious." Sasuke threw out casually. "Sakura and I will take it yet again."

"Tch, yeah right." Naruto said with a daring squint. "Hinata and I will win it for sure."

"You're both wrong." Shikamaru of all people said. "Temari's been nagging me all year about this stupid tournament. So, I'll actually have to try this year. Maybe if we win it, she'll get off my back." He admitted.

"Oh no he's gonna try this year! Guess we should all be scared!" Kiba mocked comically, receiving laughter from the others.

Naruto's chuckles died out and he pat the chronically lazy man's shoulder. "All I can say is good luck to all of you." He said displaying more maturity than any of them have ever seen from the blonde.

"Oh man, I'm not even sure if this is really Naruto." Kiba remarked making everyone laugh yet again.

Sasuke grunted in the way only a true Uchiha could. "Guess you did do some growing while you were gone, huh?"

Naruto just waved their remarks about his old self off as he shook his head. "Eh, three years of war will do that to you, ya know?" He said taking a sip of the glass of Saki in front of him.

That remark seemed to kill the mood a bit, reminding everyone just how hellish it must have been for him. They were at war for just three days. The preparation was much longer than the actual hell they fought in, but Naruto was at war for three years. He didn't get to go into detail of what that entailed, but from what they went through, they had to figure it wasn't anything pleasant.

Naruto didn't notice the silence, too engrossed by the taste of the liquor in his mouth. When he finally opened his eyes and realized, he gulped the liquid down. "I uh..." Figuring the best course of action was to leave the subject completely, he did just that. "I guess I'll be seeing all of you guys next week then?" he asked, fishing for a response from anyone.

Sasuke was the first to speak as he stood up. "Just don't be late you idiot." He remarked playfully on his way out. Naruto chuckled but didn't reply to him. The others finally fell out of their momentary stupors and said their pieces as well, all vowing to win the coming tournament without fail. It being just a few days away, everyone was far passed ready for it to be here.


	8. Chapter 8

Condensed fights for the sake of laziness

 **Implausible Tales chapter 8**

 _ **-Konoha Arena-**_ _(Third day of Tournament)_

The stadium is booming with fans who have come for possibly the most popular day of all. The tournament is set up as a three day competition. The first day being a private event between proctors and competitors in which the individual fighters battle it out in a preliminary tournament to weed out the weaklings, leaving only the best of the best to compete for the gold on the second day. That challenge was won by the one and only Konohamaru Sarutobi in a magnificent battle against the future Hyuga clan head Hanabi.

During the second days tournament, the couples preliminary tournament was happening simultaneously. Now, the remaining six couples were the returning champions Sasuke and Sakura Uchiha, last year's runner-ups Sai and Ino, return competitors Shikamaru and Temari Nara, Choji and Karui Akimichi, and Lee and Tenten. The couple receiving the most buzz around the stadium was of course Naruto and Hinata Uzumaki.

"Ok guys, there you go." Said the man behind the counter, handing Boruto and Shikadai their snacks.

"Yeah, thanks." Boruto replied, grabbing his food. "So, you really think your parents have a chance?" he asked as they walked back to their section.

Shikadai shrugged casually. "I don't know. My dad is really determined this year. Mom has been nagging constantly for the past three weeks about that vacation prize."

Boruto chuckled. "Well, even so, they'd have to beat Sasuke-sensei and Aunt Sakura. That's a long shot by itself, not to mention Inojin's parents." He pointed out.

"So, I take it you don't think your parents have a chance?" Shikadai asked, noting how he didn't mention them as one of the major threats. From what they were hearing around the stadium, he was the only one who wasn't.

Boruto just shrugged. "I don't know. I've never seen them fight before." He said.

"Even so, they are highly decorated Shinobi. All the stories people tell about your dad? There's got to be some truth to it."

Boruto still wasn't fully convinced. "Guess we'll find out today huh?" Shikadai just nodded and looked forward.

They continued their trek towards their section before turning into the tunnel. Walking through it, they headed down to the bottom row, right behind the railing. All of their friends occupied the entire bench, leaving two spots for them. Inojin and Metal were discussing the possibility of their parents winning and the training they underwent to do so while Sarada and Chocho were talking to Himawari, keeping her company until Boruto got back. She was showing the two her new necklaces and trying to explain to them what her mom told her.

Sitting down next to Himawari, Boruto handed her a bag of popcorn. "Thanks Bolt!" she quipped loudly, digging into the bag of deliciousness without hesitation and forgetting about the conversation altogether. Boruto nodded to her with a smile before turning to the stadium to see it empty.

A very big surprise to everyone however was the unusually filled Kage box that housed not one, but three of the Kage! Along with Kakashi, there was the Kazekage, Gaara, and the Raikage, Darui, all there to witness the spectacle that was Naruto Uzumaki, alive and well.

"I can't believe your uncle actually came." Boruto said, leaning over to Shikadai.

Finishing the bite in his mouth he nodded. "Yeah, my mom has been asking him since the very first year. I think he's really here to see your dad though." He admitted. "Apparently, they're really close friends."

Boruto slumped down. "Of course they are." He just seems to be friends with everybody.

"Daddy has a lot of friends." Himawari said, somewhat summarizing what he was thinking.

"Comes with being a hero I suppose." Sarada said lowly, just loud enough for Boruto to hear. He didn't voice it, but he scoffed at the premise. Didn't seem so great to him.

The separate conversations ended with the roar of the crowd as they watched Kakashi step to the edge of the balcony. "Oh, it's starting!" Himawari cheered loudly.

* * *

 _ **-Balcony-**_

Kakashi stared out at all the people who came to see the tournament. Today seemed so much more packed than it had yesterday. True to his claim, everyone found this tournament a lot more exciting than the solo competition. There were a lot more people than there were the previous year, that's for sure. Most likely due to the spectacle of Naruto Uzumaki.

Looking down towards the arena floor, he saw the day's proctor, yesterday's winner, Konohamaru exiting the tunnel. Konohamaru looked back up at him and nodded, giving him the go ahead to begin. Kakashi nodded back and cleared his throat.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen." He said, using chakra to project his voice. As soon as he began speaking, the crowd went wild. "It is my honor to introduce the day's competitors. First things first, the proctor today will be the previous days winner, Konohamaru Sarutobi."

Konohamaru smiled and waved around to the crowd of cheering people. Feeling a bit proud to be known for his recent achievement.

"Our first match of the day will be an exciting one. Needing no introduction, the two couples facing off today are Sasuke and Sakura Uchiha, and Sai and Ino Yamanaka!" The crowd cheered loudly at the names called off. No one was expecting the last year's final match to be the first. It gave them a bit of hope that this year's tournament would not be one to forget.

The two selected couples exited the tunnel, waving and smiling at the crowd of screaming fans. Along the way, Sakura and Ino quietly berated each other and vowed to win through gritted teeth, the stoic faces of Sasuke and Sai ignoring them both, choosing instead to map out the area.

* * *

 _ **-In the Stands-**_

Inojin leaned forward and gave a creepily unconvincing smile towards Sarada. "It would seem our parents were selected to battle first this year." He said, quite frankly stating the obvious. Sarada chose not to entertain his creepy antics, instead choosing to shrug and turn back to the arena. "I hope it's a good match." He said, settling back into his seat.

"Don't worry Sarada, I'm sure it'll be a sweep. Just like last year." Boruto said lowly so that she could hear him.

She leaned away giving him a confused expression as well. "Who says I'm worried? Of course they'll win." She responded, not at all attempting to stifle her voice.

Himawari smiled up at her. "Yeah! Uncle Sasuke is unstoppable!" she cheered loudly for everyone nearby to hear her. "Only my daddy can beat him!" Everyone around chuckled at her innocence, some really hoping she was close to being right, wanting to see a good fight.

Boruto had his own opinion on the matter, but chose not to voice it. He didn't want to hurt her feelings in front of all these people. Of course, he'd probably have to calm her down after the fight when he lost, but that was something he was prepared to handle. If not, then he'd leave the task up to his mother or maybe Sarada, as they were much gentler.

A few seconds of silent excitement ran through the crowd of onlookers as they watched the proctor explain the rules and restrictions in place that mainly pertained to Sasuke, with good reason. They wanted to give these people a good show. If he were truly allowed to go all out, there wouldn't be much of a match between him and anybody.

After a few extra minutes of banter between the two sides, the two on two match was on in a flurry of kicks, punches, various fire techniques clashing with beautifully created beasts of ink, and one hell of a taijutsu match between the two ladies. For the crowd of onlookers, it was almost like a glimpse of the past with more excitement, seeing that Ino and Sai were actually giving the two champs a run for their money… kind of.

To most of the untrained viewers, the match was fairly even, but for the somewhat experienced combatant, it was clear that Sasuke had the entire situation under control. He himself was simultaneously dodging the attacks of Sai or countering with his own techniques, while also subtly covering for Sakura when she was caught off guard.

It was a true testament to his skill level. Not to say Sakura wasn't holding her own as well. She was just having a much rougher time with her blond friend than she expected to have. Last year she was able to easily keep up with her, she is surprisingly a lot faster and much more nimble than before. Her extensive use of nontoxic poisons was also causing a few problems. Mainly because she couldn't properly heal herself on the move.

The group of friends watching the match were all awestricken at the amazing display of shinobi tactics being displayed. It was of course something they all looked forward to each year. It was like watching one of the Kagemasa films in live action. Shouts of 'Ooh's' and 'awe's' left the children in continuous waves as there seemed to be absolutely no lack of cool moves being thrown around.

Boruto and Sarada were feeling a bit nervous watching the battle, finding it to be a much more interesting match than they were expecting. Inojin didn't seem to mind the outcome much anyways as he just held his usual small smile and watched in interest. Boruto looked over to Sarada who was sitting up a bit straighter in her seat, trying to get a look at the action a little better. When she noticed Boruto, she quickly righted herself and sunk back into her seat.

After an astonishing forty minute long battle, Sasuke and Sakura were able to get the upper hand, subduing the two and claiming victory. The crowd roared in praise as the two winners checked on their opponents. When Ino and Sai were taken to the infirmary, Sasuke and Sakura lifted their hands in victory while Kakashi announced that obvious fact.

Boruto and Sarada both silently breathed sighs of relief seeing that their selected victors made it through the difficult battle. Inojin smiled and leaned forward. "What an exciting match. Next year it could be even closer."

"Ha! No way! Uncle Sasuke and Aunt Sakura will never lose to your mommy and daddy!" Himawari proclaimed a little harshly.

Inojin just gave her a smile, letting the bold statement go and chocking it up to her innocence in age. Boruto chuckled and turned towards the arena seeing the next fighters leave the tunnel.

* * *

 _ **-Balcony-**_

Kakashi cleared his throat, getting the attention of the viewers. "What an exciting first match. Truly a spectacle to witness." He stated receiving a very hefty cheer of agreement. "I do hope it got your blood pumping for the next match, which will be between two more very prestigious clans. Please welcome to the arena Shikamaru and Temari Nara, and Choji and Karui Akimichi." The crowd roared in praise once more, probably piggy backing off of the energy of the last match.

* * *

 _ **-In the Stands-**_

"Oh yeah!" Chocho cheered seeing her mom and dad exiting the tunnel. "Your parents are going down this year Shikadai! Sorry they drew an unlucky first match!" she said with a wink.

Shikadai just yawned and shrugged her statement off. "That's what you told Metal the year before."

"And me the year before that." Sarada added, making the others chuckle.

Chocho just shrugged and turned back to the stadium. "Yeah, well this year I mean it. My dad has been eating these new special chips imported from Iwa. He's totally ready for this match."

Everyone else accepted her belief in her parents and zoned back into the match. After a few friendly words of competition, the second battle began. Immediately, the crowd got to witness two of the individual abilities of the renowned members of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio. Choji's human boulder jutsu and Shikamaru's shadow possession jutsu. What really stole the show was the miraculous display of their wives who were having an intense battle on their own.

Temari was keeping her distance and using her fan to attack the frustrated Karui. The entire time, it seemed to be two separate battles, but the pivotal point of the match was when Shikamaru's ingenious plan came to fruition. The damage being done by Choji's powerhouse attacks was vital in setting up the arena to his and Temari's liking. The match ended rather shortly with Shikamaru catching both of them in his shadow possession jutsu, allowing Temari to get in close and order their surrender with a blade to Karui's throat.

Begrudgingly the two admitted defeat with Karui berating Choji on being so easily manipulated.

"Aw!" Chocho pouted seeing the conclusion. "Well, whatever." She quickly recovered. "There's always next year!" Just like that, she was back stuffing her face with chips and other goodies. Shikadai would have had a snarky remark ready for her earlier trash talk, but he fell asleep halfway through the match and still hasn't woken up.

"Wow! That was so cool!" Himawari cheered aloud as she then went on to explain how she perceived the battle, using whooshing and explosion sounds to accent the cool parts. Boruto just nodded along to her highly over exaggerated summary of the battle. His mind however was on the next match, as was everyone else.

There was only one match left in round one, so it was obviously going to be the round his parents were in. Everyone else realized this as well as they all scrambled to restock on snacks and beverages, chattering with excitement for the next match.

"Boruto, I have to pee." Himawari informed him.

Before he could reply, Sarada stood to her feet. "So do I. Come on, I'll take you." Himawari took her hand and followed her down the aisle, Boruto throwing her a thanks as she passed.

Finally Shikadai fluttered awake with a yawn and a stretch. "Ugh, is it over?" he asked in a daze.

"No, it's the last round of the openers." Boruto informed him. "Your parents won the last match."

Shikadai just rolled his neck out. "Eh, that's cool I guess." He said. "Finally getting to the good stuff."

Boruto scoffed to himself. It would seem even Shikadai was in that hero worshipping mindset as well. No matter, Boruto wouldn't admit it, but he was very interested in seeing what his so called father could do. With him fighting Metal Lee's dad, it wouldn't be an easy battle what so ever.

* * *

 _ **-Balcony-**_

Standing back to his feet, Kakashi checked down with Konohamaru who nodded up at him again. He nodded back and stepped to the front of the balcony. This was the moment half these people were waiting for.

Clearing his throat, he began the introduction to the final battle of the first round. "Ladies and Gentlemen. Please welcome back the dynamic duo of return competitors Rock and Tenten Lee!"

For the special occasion, he decided to do it one at a time. While the crowd cheered and jeered for the eccentric man wearing green spandex and his wife, Kakashi peeked into the tunnel to see Naruto and Hinata stepping towards the exit.

"They will be facing the new comers Naruto and Hinata Uzumaki!" He wasn't able to get to the names over the roar of the crowd seeing their orange clad hero once more. If the first match hadn't reached the most vigorous applause, than this one surely took the cake with ease. It was completely deafening.

* * *

 _ **-In the Stands-**_

Himawari and Sarada shuffled back to their seats. When they made it, Himawari vehemently screamed for her parents trying to get their attention. She was so excited to see them that she continuously tugged on Boruto's jacket, pointing down to the Arena begging him to help her shout.

Boruto chuckled at her childish antics and was about to explain that they probably couldn't hear them until she began waving. Looking down to the arena, Naruto and Hinata were waving back at the two with smiles on their faces.

"Hey Mommy! Daddy!" Himawari yelled out. "I hope you win!" She added as she took her seat. She smiled at Boruto, showing him how excited she was to see them fight. Boruto couldn't help but smile at her. Just a few weeks ago, she was bed ridden and sickly. Now they were at the arena together, watching their parents fight. He didn't know what perfection was, but he was sure this was pretty close to it.

Boruto turned back to the battle that was just about to start. Konohamaru was once again explaining the rules and special restrictions mainly to Naruto. Of course, most of it he already knew, such as no Kurama or sage mode. Konohamaru then explained to them and the crowd that the winner of this match would be automatically placed in the finals as they had both fought an extra match in the preliminaries. The two sides agreed to the terms and the match began.

To most people's surprise and to the shock of Metal Lee, his dad took his ankle weights off at the beginning of the match. Rock Lee has become notorious for his speed with the weights on. Everyone was well aware of his unrivaled speed with them off, claiming he could rival the Raikage's infamous lightning armor. No doubt this match was one to behold.

* * *

 _ **-Arena floor-**_

"Naruto my friend! It has been far too long since our last battle! I have grown stronger since then as I am aware you have as well!" Lee belted out with pure excitement in his tone.

Naruto smiled at him, once again mentally remarking that some things truly don't change. "Yeah. Yeah I guess I have." He replied, bringing a smile to the green clad man's face.

"Then if I may ask of Hinata and Tenten to allow us to fight one on one as they have their own battle elsewhere!" he shouted, shocking the two women.

"Ugh, you're doing exactly what I said you'd do you idiot! Remember if one of us goes down we both lose" Tenten shouted at him in frustration.

Lee took the insult with a grain of salt, his smile and determination never wavering. "I am deeply sorry my wife, but I would really like to battle Naruto on my own!"

Tenten rolled her eyes and looked over to Hinata for confirmation. Hinata in turn glanced over to Naruto briefly before turning back to Tenten and nodding. With the unspoken verification, the two ladies jumped off to another section of the arena.

Lee bounced on the balls of his feet trying to get a handle on his top speed before he took off. "I am ready to battle!" He shouted over to his opponent. Naruto got the hint that he was asking him if he was ready as well so he nodded over to him.

"Ok… Here I come!" he yelled, taking off in a B-line. Crossing the distance in the blink of an eye, he jumped up and spun around with his signature kick. To his surprise, Naruto blocked it with ease. In an effort to utilize his speed to the best of his abilities, he spun around and tried to get him from the other side. Naruto blocked that one as well.

Before Lee hit the ground, Naruto sent a sharp straight right that met his chest and threw him back painfully. The green clad man tumbled and rolled until his back impacted painfully with the wall of the arena, imprinting his body into the cement. The entire arena was stunned completely. As was Naruto, he had only meant to push him back a bit. From the few matches he had in the secluded preliminaries, he was sure he had a handle on his strength, but it would seem not.

Jogging over quickly, he caught Lee before he fell from the wall. "Lee! I'm sorry!" he yelled frantically. Lee groaned in pain and tried to stand up.

"Ugh…. Your strength… is far greater than it has ever been!" he said painfully with his voice straining and his face looking as though he were seconds from vomiting as he dropped to his knee. Tenten and Hinata came jogging over urgently.

"I told you he was too strong, you idiot!" she yelled laying him down on his back.

"I had to see for myself. Naruto is truly grea-..." He said, trying to ease the pain in his chest.

Feeling confused Hinata stood there awkwardly as Konohamaru dropped down next to her. "Did… did we win?"

Konohamaru stepped forward and got their attention. "Can you continue?" he asked Lee, who had still yet to get up.

Placing one leg beneath his aching body, he placed his hand on his knee. Trying to force himself up, a stream of vomit left his mouth. "I… AAAARGH!" He couldn't even speak anymore as he held his chest. Konohamaru nodded getting the hint and stood back to his feet to address the crowd.

"Rock Lee is no longer able to continue, therefore the winners of the match are Naruto and Hinata Uzumaki!" The crowd remained silent for a few seconds, none of them really being able to believe the incredible display they didn't even get to see.

* * *

 _ **-In the Stands-**_

Boruto and the others stood on their feet with their jaws dropped. Metal Lee more so than the others. His father was just defeated so effortlessly. All they really saw was Lee disappearing and reappearing within the wall. It all happened in the blink of an eye and it was over even quicker.

His father has only gotten stronger and faster since last year, so for this to happen, it was a surprise to everyone. The crowd remained completely silent until…

"Yeah! Daddy won!" Himawari yelled, kicking off the loudest round of applause all day.

The crowd was so loud that Boruto could feel his seat shaking from the vibration of their uproar when he plopped back down. He still couldn't believe this. It couldn't be possible. Or it shouldn't be, it wasn't! He didn't know what to think at this point. That was the most amazingly disappointing thing he has ever seen. Or that he ever hasn't seen? What the hell happened!?

Turning to his left, he stared a few seats down at the still awestricken Metal who couldn't shut his gaping mouth… or take his seat… or let go of the railing. He hadn't moved since his dad hit the wall. It was actually pretty comical and Boruto would've laughed had he not been as enthralled as he was himself. Inojin was waving a hand in front of the green clad kids face trying to wake him from his stupor.

Turning the other way, he could see Sarada's equally confused expression and knew she was thinking twice about whether or not her parents stood a chance. The group of friends, besides Himawari and Chocho, were all silently thinking about what just happened. Shikadai finally broke the silence.

"Well… guess it's gonna be another year of my mom's nagging." A few of the others laughed at the statement. All but Naruto and Sarada. Himawari as well, as she didn't really get it.

Inojin leaned forward and addressed the blonde. "Well, I must say the stories of your father's heroics seem a lot more likely." He said with a smile. "In honesty, I was unsure if they were true. He is as great as my father praises him to be."

Boruto didn't know how to respond to that. Thankfully, he didn't have to as Kakashi returned to the front of the balcony to give another announcement. He explained that there would be a thirty minute break before the next round began, giving everyone their chance to once again restock on snacks and do whatever it was they needed to do before they continued.

Boruto and his group of friends went to do just that, giving him the opportunity to drop Himawari off with his Aunt Hanabi who came with his Grandpa. When they were walking around, all he could hear was people talking about his father. They all spoke about how strong he has become, meaning he was stronger than he was when they last saw him. Everyone was speaking about him as if they had already won it. Boruto wasn't convinced. They still had to go up against Sarada's parents, or possibly Shikadai's depending on who wins this next battle.

When it got going, everyone was still discussing the previous battle, showing very little interest in this much more destructive and mentally impressive match taking place. It was a very spectacular battle for the people that did watch. It seemed like Shikamaru and Temari had an absolutely brilliant plan that seemed to fool the two Uchiha's completely a few times. However, the Sharingan has never been more perfectly wielded than by Sasuke Uchiha. He was able to recover quickly from each of the complicated corners they were backed into and his skill easily allowed him to cover for Sakura as well.

The Uchiha couple defined what it is to utilize teamwork. Their designed tactics were far from useless either. Eventually the two Nara's tired, much faster than Sasuke and Sakura. They begrudgingly had to admit defeat at the hands of the unbeaten duo.

It was of course not much of a surprise to anyone. Everyone knew after that second match which two couples would meet in the final round. Now, there would be another thirty minute break before it began. There was a significant amount of people who remained rooted to their seats in pure anticipation for this match of all matches.

Boruto and his group of friends hadn't moved a muscle. Peeking over to Sarada, he could tell she was very worried about this next match. In truth, he didn't know how to feel. A part of him wondered if he should feel worried as he was rooting for his self-proclaimed sensei, but he also wanted his mom to do well.

After the thirty minute break, the crowd was back and ready to see the fight. When everything was set and ready to go, Kakashi stood at the head of the balcony and introduced the championship round. The crowd went absolutely wild. The match that they had all been waiting for was now about to begin.

* * *

 _ **-Arena floor-**_

The two couples stood across from each other, both smiling at each other, not at all listening to Konohamaru once again restating the restrictions. Hinata was the only one not really interested in eyeing the other side down as she smiled up at Himawari who was now sitting next to her father and sister. Naruto and Sasuke however were intensely smirking at each other, with Sakura reminiscing the looks they had. She's seen those looks far too many times to know what they meant.

When Konohamaru finished his ranting, he asked both sides if they were ready, receiving confirmation from both. Swiping his hand down, he leapt away with the two couples jumping back a few feet to gain some distance.

Sasuke and Sakura were so sure they knew their blonde friend, so they knew exactly what to expect here. Naruto would without a doubt ask Hinata to take on Sakura so that he and Sasuke could have their match. They were fine with this tactic as it suited them best as well. Sakura was strong, but she knew she was no match for Naruto. Taking on Hinata would be the most she could do in this situation.

Staring across the way at the Uzumaki couple, they were somewhat confused when they nodded at each other and Hinata stepped back until she was directly behind Naruto. Figuring they seemed to have a different plan than expected, Sakura threw a kunai their way to disrupt whatever it was they were trying to do, consequently truly kicking off the battle.

The two sides rushed with Hinata coming in very closely behind Naruto. Sasuke was the first to reach the two and threw a punch with his lone arm. Instead of blocking it, Naruto redirected it, throwing him off balance. When he did, he twisted his body and in an impressive display of teamwork, Hinata's pointed hand came soaring from behind his back. Sasuke's Sharingan picked up on it of course and he was able to shift his body enough to avoid the strike.

In doing so, he opened himself up for the shoulder shrug Naruto used to push him back. Immediately, he had to lean back to avoid Sakura's hook. Hinata's Byakugan saw the attack as well and she squatted down, allowing Naruto to flip over her. Sakura's outstretched body was unable to block Hinata's palm of chakra that hit her in the gut and sent her flying back.

Sasuke caught her before she hit the ground however. They now knew the tactic the two had going. Naruto would block their attacks and their view of Hinata, allowing her to pop out of nowhere and use her infamous fighting style to block their chakra points. It was an absolutely amazing technique for fighting a strictly close range fighter such as Sakura, but not Sasuke.

Going through hand signs, he spewed out a fireball to see what they'd do. Their view was blocked momentarily, but he saw the flames seemingly disperse in a swirl of what seemed to be wind. There was also a loud screeching sound and before he even saw it, he knew what he did. When their view was finally cleared, Naruto was holding out his infamous Rasen-shuriken.

Regrouping with Sakura they whispered between each other, wondering how in the hell they were going to get to the two. It seemed absolutely impossible from what they had observed so far. Brainstorming ideas, they came up with the simple solution of destroying the ground beneath their feet entirely, so in true Sakura fashion, she threw her hand into the ground, completely changing the landscape. Frustratingly, Naruto and Hinata's formation remained true, but it would be much harder to maintain it with the new terrain.


	9. Chapter 9

**Implausible Tales chapter 9**

 _Kneeling in the sand, drenched in sweat, Naruto picked his head up. In front of him… was… in front of him was someone he thought he'd never see again. Someone he had hoped he would never see again. Dressed in a very ragged and torn pair of black pants and his chest bare, very long and jagged black hair that fell down his back and a black bang that covered half his face. Even with his eyes shut, the power oozed out of them._

 _Naruto knew this man all too well. The ninja world knew this man all too well. He was responsible for the greatest of all the wars. A war of monsters like him. But… why was he here? What was here, come to think about it? It wasn't home… it wasn't Zetsu dimension. It was something else._

 _There was sand. There was definitely sand. He ran his hands through the soft substance beneath his palms. There was also wind. He could feel it on his skin, but… there was no sky. It was… purely black. There was no sound. He couldn't even hear himself breathing even though he was panting... He couldn't hear his heart beating. He couldn't hear or… even feel Kurama… Was he dead? He had to be. Madara was here… When did he die?_

 _The last thing he remembered was a steamy night of passionate love making with his wife in some bed that wasn't his own. They weren't home… they were… they were somewhere else. Where were they? Before that… they were… in a… in a hot spring? Yeah. Yeah, they were in a hot spring._

 _That must mean they're on vacation. Just him and Hinata… wait… why were they on vacation? Was he hallucinating? Was this a Genjutsu by Zetsu? Thinking back, he remembered… making it home… he remembered seeing Boruto again… and meeting his daughter… his daughter… he had a daughter? What… what was her name? Hi… Wamahi… what was her name?_

 _Why was he here? Looking up, the man before him was saying something… What was he saying? Was he saying his name? Who was this man again? What was this?_

" _Naruto…" Oh… that's what he was saying… Wait… he could hear him. But… who was he? "You've returned at last…"_

 _That voice was familiar. Who was this man? Slowly, his one visible eye opened, displaying a very strange pattern. It was red. The eye was red and the pattern within it was… dizzying. Oh… that's right. Naruto knew this man… he knew him all too well. It was the man he had hoped he would never see again. "Madara…" He spit out with venom dripping from his tone. He felt incredibly angry all of a sudden._

" _You've finally returned." He stated again. "…I have waited for far too long… I waited too long for the end I deserve." He said ominously. Naruto didn't get a chance to reply as the ground beneath him seemed to shake. Looking down, it steadied almost instantly, but when he looked back up, the world around them changed. They were now surrounded by rubble, and he was kneeling on nothing but dirt._

 _Where were they now? It looked familiar… it felt familiar. Looking around, his eyes landed on something that shook him to his core as the sight brought back memories. There was nothing more than six stone heads on the side of a cliff. Faces he knew very well._

 _This was the hidden leaf? What happened? Who did this? Looking up, he eyed the Uchiha man intensely. "What do you want?" He didn't know why that was the question that reached his mind, it just seemed right to ask._

" _I think you know what it is I want." He said cryptically. Naruto thought it over but came up with nothing. Was it revenge? Did he want to destroy the hidden leaf? It would seem like it with the scene playing on around him. "I want you to fight me. I want you to fight me to the death."_

 _Fight him to the death? Was this… was this like with Zetsu? No… no this was Zetsu. He was still in Zetsu's dimension. Everything he had seen… everything he saw was nothing but an illusion. Looking back up, the scene changed again, and just as he deduced, Zetsu stood before him. He was kneeling in sand again and all around him were various landmarks and random climate changes that seemed too close together._

" _Meet me where it always ends… in two days." Zetsu's voice rang out cryptically. Naruto wasn't sure what he meant by that. "If you do not show up… it could make me take drastic measures."_

 _As he began to fade away, Naruto had to know what the hell he was talking about. "What does that mean?... What does that mean!?"_

" _If you have even the slightest feeling that I am speaking the truth, I'd advise taking it." He demanded, now completely out of view. Naruto had to figure out what that meant._

 _Thinking it over, he knew their war began. How long has it been? How long has he been here? It's been a few years already. But… it was so vivid… he was home… he made it back. Zetsu's illusions were never this vivid before. Looking up again, the scenery changed yet again. It returned to the first scene. The sanded location with wind and nothing else. Looking up to the black sky, he was alarmed when a pair of red eyes shot open unexpectedly._

* * *

Jerking his eyes open, he was staring at the bare back of his beautiful wife. It was morning time, and they were in a bed that was not their own. Picking his head up, it was a beautiful hotel room of all white. He had been dreaming. That's right. He was just dreaming.

Getting up, he slipped his pants on and went to the bathroom. Standing in the mirror, he stared at himself. He had to just tell himself, it was just a dream. But, it seemed so real. Too real for comfort.

He realized that every now and then he would have dreams of his time in the dimension, but they were always memories. This one was just… made up. He was sure he never had that conversation. The context of what he was saying didn't exactly connect either. He said 'meet me where it always ends' but he was sure there wasn't a place like that in that world. Unless he meant the place they had their final battle.

In his thinking he didn't notice Hinata walk in. She snaked her hands around his stomach and hugged him from behind. Naruto smiled and spun around in her arms. She was wearing his white shirt which draped down to the top of her thighs. "You ok?" She asked him, somehow sensing his unrest.

Naruto smiled down at her. "Uh, yeah… Yeah I'm fine." He said pushing a stray piece of hair from her face behind her ear. "So, what do you want to do today?" he asked her. They had one more day of fun before they had to leave tomorrow. The resort they came to had absolutely everything they could have asked for. There was of course the hot spring, a couple's massage, a beautiful area in the recently man-made lake for them to swim in, and then there was a theater here with the most professional actors and play writes.

"Um… let's go swimming." She suggested receiving confirmation from him. A few minutes later, they were dressed and ready to go. On the way to the lake front, they were stopped by almost everyone who saw them. People asking to take pictures with them and begging them to sign something. The entire ordeal was as strange as it's always been.

It became a common occurrence to Naruto a while back, but for Hinata it was still strange. It was like she was some kind of an idol for the young women who came up to her. The wife of Naruto Uzumaki was her previous title which she was fine with, but lately it's become simply Hinata Uzumaki. Her name was one held in high regards as well. It was even more esteemed than when she used to be known as the Hyuga heiress.

When they finally made it to the lake front, they found out the owner of the resort caught word of their arrival and closed off a section specifically for them. It was nice that they had their own little area to simply relax and enjoy each other's company. They did feel a bit awkward being praised like this, but it was still nice. After swimming and playing around for a few hours, they were finally finished and resigned to relaxing in the sand.

Hinata sat between Naruto's legs listening to a bit more of the story regarding Zetsu's world. He had still yet to get to how the war actually ended or even began. It seemed like such an unorthodox and amazing adventure yet somehow still a nightmare. "It must have been beautiful…" she remarked absent mindedly, hearing him speak of the unusual terrain.

Naruto chuckled through his nose. "…Yeah… yeah it was…" Staring down at her, she was looking out towards the water as she hugged his left arm against her body. "At the time… I hated every second of it, but… looking back at it… it was amazing." Hinata's smile only deepened as she shut her eyes, letting the afternoon sun rush across her body in an intoxicating warmth.

When their day time activity came to an end, the two headed back for their hotel room. Along the way, they were greeted with the same amount of attention and just as they had on the way there. Of course they stopped and greeted everyone who approached them, both too kind to turn a blind eye to anyone.

When they made it to their room, they both got dressed and headed out once more. They dressed in their regular clothing, unaware that the restaurant they were headed had a strict dress code. Of course, they were allowed in with absolutely no hassle. When they first entered, they had to once again greet everyone in the eating establishment before they were allowed to eat. It was now becoming a bit of a problem, but once they took a picture with everyone and signed whatever it was they were offered, the buzz wore off a little, allowing them to peacefully enjoy their meal… well, with prying eyes constantly watching them as if they were some kind of romantic movie.

Hinata ended her string of laughter at Naruto's joke and took another bite of her food. Naruto chuckled as well. "Heh, yeah. Then uh… after he got caught, I found him in the dumpster behind the bath house with blood just pouring out of his nose." Hinata laughed again. "Yeah… Pervy sage was an idiot sometimes…"

Hinata smiled at the way Naruto's unfocused look spoke wonders about his old teacher. She could tell he loved him a lot.

"So… what was your mom like?" Naruto asked suddenly.

Hinata raised an eyebrow at that. "My mother?" she asked in thought. "My mother was kind and very beautiful."

Naruto chuckled. "Heh, well of course she was. I could've guessed that just by looking at you." Hinata blushed and shook her head. "Your dad always talks about how much you two look alike." He informed her.

"He's exaggerating a little. We share similarities, but I don't look exactly like her. I wish I did."

Naruto smiled back. "I'm glad you don't." Wait… that sounded like he was calling her mom ugly now. Looking over, Hinata seemed to have the same thought. "n-Not that she's ugly! I just meant, that I'm glad you look like this.. like you." God his entire leg was in his mouth at this point. "uh.. just forget I said anything." He said with an awkward laugh as he scratched the back of his head.

Hinata chuckled at his nervous behavior, finding it funny. "Don't worry, I got it." She reassured him, calming him down.

Naruto put his hand on his chest and sighed dramatically. "Uh, ok. Sorry." He finished with another soft chuckle. After that, they continued eating for a few moments in silence. "Ya know, I'm surprised we actually beat Sakura and Sasuke like that." He said suddenly, finding that subject just randomly popping into his head.

Hinata nodded as well. "Yeah. I was unsure if the plan would work or not." She admitted. "I've been out of practice so long, I had honestly expected to miss most of my marks."

The match ended when it was revealed to the Uchiha couple that their major chakra points or Sakura herself for that matter were not the true targets. Their plan worked nearly flawlessly. It was to basically hit the dragon where he wouldn't expect it.

With the rules of the couples tournament being to incapacitate just one of the opposing team's members, Sasuke and Sakura must have known they would attack Sakura, as Hinata and Naruto knew they'd try and get to Hinata. Their formation was an obvious indicator they knew who the target was. The plan was to make it look as though they were going for more vital attacks at Sakura than Sasuke, when in truth, they were working down Sasuke while he split his attention elsewhere.

Naruto actually came up with the plan as he thought back to the battle between Hinata and Neji when they were younger. The question going into the match was how they would beat Sasuke's Sharingan. His Rinnegan was banned from use just as Naruto's chakra mode was off limits. So, Naruto's thoughts traveled to ways people have beaten 'all seeing eyes' before in the past. Draw someone's attention away from the insignificant areas that could in time become vital. With Sasuke having only one arm as it is, you'd think he'd notice the little jolts of chakra Hinata sent within him every time she 'missed' her attacks.

Eventually, they were able to incapacitate the big hitter of the two to everyone's surprise, leaving them the victors of the couple's tournament. It was a miraculous victory and a surprise to everyone when they revealed the plan and who came up with it. When you're at war, tactics and ulterior battle strategies become an absolute must. Naruto had grown far more than anyone could have guessed.

"What? No way. You're amazing." He said, squashing her doubt. "I knew you had it the whole time." He said with a smile. "So did your daughter apparently." He said with a chuckle.

Hinata laughed at that. When they had finally regrouped with their kids, Himawari did as she had done to Boruto a while before and recounted the battle, using over exaggerated gestures to explain how she perceived it which in this case wasn't far off. Especially getting to the part in which Sakura completely rearranged the terrain. There were a lot of cool parts to her, so she was very adamant about explaining it.

"Boruto didn't seem too happy that we won though…" he continued in a sullen tone.

Hinata's chuckles ended there. "I'm sure he was… he's just… he has a hard time expressing his emotions sometimes…"

Naruto nodded, but Hinata could tell he didn't truly believe her. "He doesn't seem to like me…"

"No… no he loves you. It's just… you've been gone so long and..." She tried to explain. It wasn't hard to see the blatant distaste Boruto had to his father. She hadn't gotten around to talking to him about it yet. "He just needs time…"

Naruto sighed and nodded. "I don't know what else I can do… I mean… I don't even think he wants me to train him… I thought that maybe he would, but…"

Hinata put her hand over his, silencing his rant and making him look her in the eye. "Naruto... you've been gone a very long time." She restated. "Boruto has had many people teaching him things… he doesn't need a sensei… he needs a father."

Naruto let that statement hang in the air as he thought about what that entailed. When he was younger, he didn't have a father, or a mother. His idea of it was whatever he saw while walking around the village. Though that was mostly fathers pulling their kids away from his view. When that wasn't happening, they were training them. "Well… Shikamaru and Sasuke and them… they're training their kids… what am I doing wrong here?"

Hinata smiled at him. "They are training their kids because they have been here their whole lives. They have the whole father thing figured out."

"What am I supposed to do?" he asked showing a bit of desperation.

Hinata sat back and smiled at him again. "It's something you have to figure out." She finished.

With that weighing on his mind, he had something to think about that night when they went to bed. He had very little sleep and when he did, he had a similar dream to the night before. It was again Madara Uchiha making the same claim, this time stating 'Come to me or you will regret it.' As an even more unusual image, his father was there as well… and his mother. Naruto finally decided he was delirious and he needed help. The dream was telling him to go see these dead people… in other words, die to get there.

* * *

The next morning, he spoke with Hinata about his thoughts since he's been back. He told her about the nightmares, what he thinks about when he spaces out, everything. She was of course shocked that he was opening up like this, but her advice was to speak with someone about this. More specifically a doctor or a friend who may also have went through it.

Sasuke was the first person that came to mind at that point. He hadn't exactly been through the same thing, but he had done some horrible things in his past that he repented for. When they returned home, he would definitely speak with him.

They had to check out by this morning as yesterday was their last day. Their vacation wasn't over just yet however as they had planned to take Himawari and Boruto on a trip to some kind of new water park in Kiri. They passed it on the way and sent a letter back to Hanabi asking her to bring the kids that way. Of course it would be during the school year, so they could only stay for a day at most, but even so, it was going to be a full family vacation with Hiashi as well. It was a half days walk for them but a full day for the others. Their plan was to leave now and book a few rooms in a hotel near the place.

As they left the resort, they were once again barraged with things to sign and pictures to take. It postponed their exit by a good hour or so, but they were still on track to make it by their scheduled time. When they arrived, yet again they were bombarded by fans asking them for autographs and what not, but luckily it wasn't as many people.

When they arrived, they split up as Hinata went to pay for their rooms and tickets and Naruto went elsewhere.

Hinata walked down the hall, heading towards a room they were given for free! She had planned on paying for two rooms at the least. One for her, Naruto, and the kids, and then a separate one for her father and sister, but giving her name was enough for the receptionist and the manager to completely gush out over the esteemed couple, granting them the penthouse suite on the top floor. It would be more than enough to fit all of them.

When she arrived at the room, there were two very beautiful wooden door. Opening them up, she walked into what would appear to be the living room. It was absolutely huge with a beautiful couch set in the middle, looking out towards the amazing ocean side view through the thick glass windows. Walking further through the suite, there was a kitchen, a dining room, three bedrooms, including the master suite, and what's more, the couch in the living room was a pull out. It would be far more than enough for one night.

Walking back to the main room, she stood at the window overlooking the beautiful body of water down below. It was mesmerizing. She wasted time and waited for a few hours until finally the door was opened with a click. Hearing the voice of Himawari chatting continuously she went to greet them.

"Mommy!" yelled the little girl as she charged forward. Hinata cooed as she scooped the little ball of joy off her feet.

"Hey, Himawari. I'm glad you're here." She said with a happy quip to her tone. After greeting all the others and hearing Himawari's long and breathless story of their journey here, including the hilarious detail of having one of the escorting Hyuga members carry her on their back, Hiashi asked the obvious question.

"Where's Naruto?"

Hinata thought it over for a second. "Actually, I don't know. He said he had something to do before he came to the room." She said looking back to Himawari who was calling her again. Boruto rolled his eyes hearing that. His dad wouldn't even walk his mom to the room before going off on his own? What a loser.

* * *

 _ **-With Naruto-**_

Slowly but surely ending his string of laughter, he took another sip of the wine in his hand. A brown haired woman sitting on the edge of a desk was apparently telling a hilarious story about the blue haired man behind it. "It's every girls dream to hear about her husband's undying love for another woman isn't it?" She asked sarcastically receiving another chuckle from the blonde hero.

"Come on, Rai." He said in amusement. "She was the Mizukage. Every guy was in love with her." He argued his case. Naruto laughed once more at the blue haired Kage's misfortune.

"Yeah, but I doubt any other guy tells his wife that." She mocked him as she leaned over and pecked his lips. "Just because you're the Mizukage doesn't mean you're above the obligations and restrictions of a husband. To you, every other girl who isn't me, your daughter, or your mother is hideous." She informed. "You remember that too Naruto, for when Hinata asks you something about another girl." She said as he waved her off.

"Of course. I don't think Hinata would let me forget it." He said receiving a laugh from the two of them. "Well, it was very fun Mizukage. But, I should be heading to my hotel now. I thank you for having us here." He said still chuckling at the ridiculous story they had told.

"Ah, come on Naruto. It's just Chojuro." He said bashfully. "And you guys are welcome any time. It's really great to have you back." He said with a nod.

Naruto nodded to him as well and bid the two a goodnight before heading to the hotel they were staying at. He hadn't expected to be there all day, but Chojuro offered him a drink and he accepted. Then, his wife came in and began telling Naruto the most ridiculous tale about how they came together. It was so entertaining watching the Mizukage fumbling with his words that Naruto just lost track of time.

Now, on his way back, he was virtually unbothered as most of the people just waved at him from a distance. He was stopped a few times, but he made it to where they were staying before too long. After hearing the gratitude of both the receptionist and the manager, both female ladies who cooed about how perfect Naruto and Hinata were, he was finally told where to go.

Opening the door, he looked around but didn't see anyone in there. The place was absolutely huge. "Uh… Hello?" he called out cautiously. Walking further in and shutting the door, he looked around at the scenery for a bit until he heard small pitter patters rushing from the right. Turning that way, Himawari came bolting around the corner.

"Daddy! You're here!" she yelled leaping into his arms.

Naruto caught her with a grunt of false effort. "Oh-ho! Yes! I am!" he replied, matching her intensity. "Where's everyone at?" he asked her, setting her on his hip.

"Everyone's eating at the table." She informed him as he nodded and began heading that way. On the way, Himawari began doing as she had done with Hinata and began telling him of her amazing first venture out the village. She was only interrupted when he asked her how she felt when they were away. "I was ok. Just sad that you were gone."

Naruto smiled and continued along, hearing of her amazing first journey. When they arrived, he was greeted to the sight of the others chatting among each other. Hinata and Hiashi were talking about the resort while Hanabi and Boruto spoke of the recent tournament and how she lost to Konohamaru of all people.

"Daddy's here!" Himawari called out, informing every one of his arrival.

Naruto placed her back in the seat and greeted Boruto with a rub of his hair much to his dismay. Naruto didn't notice as he continued on, greeting Hanabi with a hug and Hiashi with a handshake. "So, where'd you go?" Hinata asked, receiving his peck on the cheek.

"Oh, well last time I was here, I told Chojuro I would stop by. Seven years later, but it was a promise." He said bashfully.

"Who's that?" Boruto asked curiously.

Hiashi chuckled and shook his head. "You should really pay attention in class boy." He mocked him playfully. "That's the Mizukage."

"The Mizu-what a?" Himawari asked adorably.

Hanabi smiled and pinched her cheek. "Mizukage dear. It's like the Hokage but for Kiri."

"Oh!" she quipped loudly before seamlessly going back to her food.

Hiashi took a bite of his food as well. "So, I see you are still well connected with even the other Kage." He said receiving a nod from Naruto who had just been served by Hinata.

"Yeah, they're all great people." He replied, picking around at his plate. "It'll make the job of Hokage much more bearable than it was in the past, having to deal with people you like, ya know?"

Hiashi nodded. "Very true. Very true indeed." Looking down at his plate, he threw Naruto a rare comment that caught the three adults by surprise. "You will do great leading the village Naruto. There has never been anyone I believe has been born for the roll of a Kage until you came along."

Hinata and Hanabi shared looks that said their hearts were touched by their fathers words of affection, but they both suppressed their feminine 'aww's' as to not ruin the moment. Naruto was completely taken back however. It's not that he hadn't been complemented by the man before, it was just the weight behind his words, the conviction behind his tone. Snapping back to reality, he shook his head. "u-Uh, thank you Hiashi… I appreciate that."

Hiashi nodded. "It is the truth." He said as he stood to his feet. "Goodnight all. This old man here needs his rest." He said, receiving chuckles from Boruto and Himawari who he pinched on the way by.

Without another word, the table slowly fell apart as everyone finished their meal. Hanabi took the kids out to the balcony to stare out to the sea while Naruto and Hinata cleaned the mess. There weren't any dishes to wash as they had simply ordered take out, so they just threw everything away. Since there were three bedrooms, the sleeping arrangements were a little strange. They gave Hiashi and Hanabi a room each and they gave the kids the master room while they planned on sleeping on the pullout mattress in the living room.

As they were setting the bed up, the two noticed that Boruto was still outside looking at the water alone. Hinata nudged Naruto forward as he seemed unsure if he should go or not. With a hesitant step, he joined his son outside.

Shutting the door behind him seemed to get the boys attention as he finally turned around. When he realized who it was, he turned back, seemingly showing no interest. Naruto walked closer to him and leaned against the rail right next to him.

"Man… it's beautiful out here isn't it?" he asked, just to get the conversation going.

Boruto gave him a curious side glance before turning back. "Yeah." He replied simply.

Naruto nodded, thankful that he at least got a reply. Thinking of something else to say, he was drawing blanks. His mind continued traveling to Shikamaru and the guys. Since he's been back, he's seen a limited amount of interaction between them and their children, but he felt he saw enough to understand this whole dad thing. With Himawari, it was so simple, because she already loved him. But Boruto he could tell hated his guts. What would the guys do in this situation?

Once again coming up with nothing, his mind traveled back to what Hinata said. He doesn't need a sensei, he needs a father… "Boruto." Naruto called out, grabbing his attention. He turned his head and stared the boy in the eyes. "I want to tell you about the first time I met my father."

In a strange sight for Naruto, Boruto's expression displayed interest. It was much more than he was expecting. He was expecting… well the exact opposite actually. He was expecting disinterest, maybe some kind of excuse to leave, but no. He seemed as though he wanted to hear him. Feeling as though he was making things awkward by just staring at him, he looked back out to the water.

"Actually… I have to tell you a little more about when I was younger…"


	10. Chapter 10

**Implausible Tales chapter 10**

"When I was younger…" he began, pausing to think about how much he should tell him. "When I was your age, I was an orphan…"

Boruto seemed shocked by that fact alone. It seemed like Hinata hadn't really spoken about his past all that much.

Continuing on, he stared down at his own folded hands. "I was ah… I was poor… I was… I was always alone, because…" he drawled off, for a moment remembering the days where no one knew of his jinchuriki status.

"Because of Kyubi?" Boruto asked casually. Naruto glanced over to him and slowly nodded in confirmation.

"His uh… his name's Kurama… but yeah…" he corrected him, receiving a nod of confirmation from the smaller blonde. "Back then… everyone saw them as monsters… They saw them as monsters because a few years back… when I was born… Kurama was forced to attack the village, by a… a man who was not well." He said, figuring that was a story for another day.

Boruto was staring out towards the water, listening intently to the tale. He of course realized when his dad was leaving stuff out, but for some reason he didn't care. He remembered a while back when he sat on the porch, waiting for Sarada to finish talking to her dad. He was telling her a story about his past, and now here he was with his father doing the same thing. Who was he to deny that?

"The Fourth Hokage… and his wife." He coughed awkwardly. "They were able to seal him away into me… they chose me because… because I was their son…" he said shocking the boy.

His grandpa was the Fourth Hokage? That made it even more upsetting that they've been poor all this time. From what he knew from talking with the man, Konohamaru was still living off of money from his grandfather. Considering how his dad grew up however, he had to assume something wasn't right there.

"I lived half of my life not knowing that…" he said smiling sadly. "Half of my life wondering why the Fourth would choose me of all people. Why he would choose me to carry that heavy burden over everyone else he could have chosen."

Thinking over it, Boruto could see that that was kind of similar to his situation. All this time, he had no idea where his dad was, or why he would leave them all alone like he did. The situations were very similar… only much worse from his father's perspective.

"Then… I met Jiraiya…" Peeking over, he could see the confusion play out on Boruto's face. It would seem Hiashi was right about his lack of book smarts. "Jiraiya was a very famous shinobi and student of the Third Hokage." He said giving a rough description of his position. "He was also the sensei of the Fourth Hokage." He added.

"o-Oh.." he said lowly. Now Boruto understood how it pertained to the story.

"Jiraiya was a very perverted man, but he was very powerful and very wise." He informed him. "He took me on as his student, and not even he told me about my father… He trained me for three years. Three long years and… we were almost like family… He was one of the closest things I've ever had to a real dad." He said, bringing Boruto down off that pedestal of self-loathing he was on.

That made him feel awful. He didn't even have a father, and yet Boruto sometimes wished he didn't have one again. In his mind, he was still trying to dispute this man's story. So what? He didn't have a dad either for almost all of his life, and he wasn't even dead. And he didn't have someone who could train him and treat him like a father. Well, except for Sasuke-sensei… kind of.

"Anyways… Jiraiya died…"

Great. Make it even more depressing.

"He was killed by a man who later destroyed the whole village." He said shocking him once again.

Boruto's mind scrambled around as he realized he was going to hear one of the stories straight from the horse's mouth. He immediately knew that there was only one time that the leaf was actually 'destroyed' and that was the Akatsuki invasion. If it matched up with what he was told all those years ago, then there was truth to these implausible tales he's been fed.

"This man's name was Pein."

Check.

"Well, that's what he called himself… His real name was Nagato. His reasoning for destroying the village is for another time however. But, he did. He completely flattened it and killed many people."

Also check. He needed bigger details. More specific, personal even.

As if reading his mind, Naruto's expression grew somber. "That was the day that… that your mother first told me she loved me." He said with a small forced smile, remembering that moment that was seared into his memory forever.

Yup, that was a big check. His mom had told them this story before.

"It was also the day she almost died… and I completely lost myself…"

Boruto's thoughts left him at that point. Nobody told him that part. Naruto went on to explain what he felt like losing control to Kurama at the time.

"I was in so much… pain and… and sorrow that I just wanted it to go away… I wanted all of it to go away and he told me he could help me…" Boruto was on the imaginary edge of his seat, waiting to hear where this went. "Right before I was about to rip the seal off… a hand grabbed my wrist and threw me down… bringing me back to my senses."

Without him saying anything, Boruto already knew.

"It was the Fourth Hokage… At first, I was confused as to why he was in my head, until he explained that he placed a bit of his chakra in the seal as well, in case I ever lost control."

Boruto nodded along, showing that he was listening. No longer tallying what he knew with the new information. It was like he was hearing the story for the first time all over again. Which, of course, some of it, he was.

"I had so many questions for him at that time, but my first one was… 'Why me?'..." He said letting that ring in the air for a few seconds. "That was all I could ask while in the face of my idol… 'Why me?'…"

Boruto could see a smile spread on his face for some reason.

"He answered with a question I will never forget…" he said once again letting that ring in the night air. "He asked me, '…How could I ask another man to give up his child if I couldn't do it myself?'… At the time, I didn't truly understand what he meant by that… to me it seemed like an easy thing to do, but… my perception of that changed ten years ago."

Ten years? Wait that was when…

"When I first held you in my arms… and, I realized how precious you were… and how there was nothing in this world I wouldn't do for you…"

Boruto adamantly had to prevent those tears resting in his eyes from rolling down his face. He wasn't going to cry for this man. He wouldn't dare.

"As I thought that, I realized that every other father most likely had that same thought when they held their child the first time... How could I ask them to give that up… if I wouldn't do so myself?"

Having been silent this whole time, a question suddenly popped up in Boruto's mind. It was sudden, but he felt that he just had to ask it. "Would…" Damn it, his voice cracked. "Would you do that to me?" he asked cautiously, actually afraid of the answer for some reason.

Naruto's smile slowly rose as, unknown to Boruto, Kurama was saying something. Shaking his head, he turned his body and looked Boruto in his eyes. Placing his hand on his head, he gave him that infamous smile. "Of course I would… You're my son after all. I couldn't trust anyone else with such a task."

It wasn't exactly the answer he was hoping for, but it was so much better. Boruto wasn't even aware of the tear that somehow managed to escape the prison of his eye lid, but it was there. When he did notice it, he quickly tried to wipe it before Naruto could see, and to his surprise, the hand on his head tugged him forward. Before he knew it, his head was leaning against his father's stomach. How many tears fell after that? He had no idea, but he could see them pooling on the floor beneath him.

* * *

 _With a sigh, Naruto stared down into the water below. His make shift spear in his hand and only his pants on. He kneeled at the edge of the unidentifiable body of water, searching for any form of life he could possible spear for his next meal._

 _There was nothing._

 _No fish, no predators, just nothing. He questioned Zetsu's reasoning for even placing this here. What was its purpose if not for fishing? Feeling frustrated, he threw his spear into the dirt next to him and looked around._

 _By this point, his energy was running extremely low. He began his training just a weeks ago and it was far more grueling than it had ever been back home. He thought he had gotten used to the gravity until he tried doing even the most basic of exercises. Luckily for him, his chakra was back, allowing him to train in some of the things he wasn't aware he could do. The power given to him by the Sage of Six Paths was an un-ventured area until now._

 _Sighing again, he stared up to the sky. He dropped to his knees at the edge of the water and stared at his reflection. Strangely enough, it wasn't his. It was his fathers, staring back at him. He was hallucinating again. Squeezing his eyes tightly, he opened them back again to see someone else._

 _Jiraiya._

 _With a roar of anger at his inability to quit his daydreaming, he lunged forward, throwing a punch at the reflection. Now unable to see anything through the ripples, he continued striking the splashing water, afraid another image was going to pop up. "Argh! Argh! ARGH!" finally, he stopped and grabbed the top of his hair. He grabbed at his strands of blonde and caught his breath._

 _When he stopped, he looked out towards the water. Slowly, he saw a figure rising out of the surface. It looked like a bubble at first, until the figure finally broke through. It was a head of dark hair that continued to rise until the persons head was out of the water. They were facing away, but Naruto had seen that image too many times to forget who it was._

" _h-…Hinata…" He knew… he knew this was an illusion. He knew it, but still, he swam out. Closer and closer, until a gust of wind that had never been as strong as it was then, blew the water up into his face. Wiping it out of his eyes and spitting it from his mouth, he looked back to where he saw her in hope. But, of course, she was gone._

 _He floated there for a few seconds, having to kick his feet much more vigorously to do so. Then, with an exhausted sigh, he stopped, and began sinking._

 _He sunk deeper…  
and deeper…  
and deeper.._

 _Submerged in that body of crystal clear water, he gazed up to the surface. From the depths he was at, he stared directly into the three suns in the sky. The only sound he could hear being the way the water rumbled from that distant clap of thunder that was ever present in this place. His body felt really cold the deeper he sunk._

 _So deep now, he wasn't even sure if he was still sinking at all. Shutting his eyes, he tried to think of absolutely any reason he could for why he should come back up. Why he should even bother. What was the purpose of it? He couldn't even remember how long he had been in this world already. It could've been weeks, months? Hell, his four years of training could be up tomorrow and he wouldn't even know._

 _Opening his eyes again… there she was._

 _Floating just a few feet above him. As flawless as he remembered her. Her black hair, loosely spread out around her with the way of the water, and her pale white skin unscathed. Dressed in a loose white gown that made her look so much more angelic. And… her eyes… her enchanting, pupil-less, white eyes staring right into his._

 _Small bubbles of water escaped her nose just as they had his own. Her beautiful lips fixed shut to prevent the unnecessary loss of the air that remained. Now, he had no idea if this was real or not. Was she really here with him? Was this too good to be true? Or was she here?_

 _There was a way to find out but he feared the answer. If he shut his eyes for a few seconds and opened them… if she was still here, then this was real… if she was gone? Then…_

 _Telling himself he had to know, he shut his eyes ever so slowly. While he stared at the blackness of the back of his eyelids, he debated whether or not he should open them. If he didn't, he could forever remember that instant as it was. In the present moment, that's how he knew it. She was there, and no one could tell him otherwise._

 _In his thinking, he felt something touch his face. It was gentle and warm. Very much contrasting the cold touch of the water engulfing the rest of him. Opening his eyes, there she was. She was still there! Smiling at him. She was here!_

 _His smile reached her as well and he was just about to reach out for her as well, until…_

 _Hinata's visage change to that of worry. She was looking at him and saying something that he couldn't make out. She was drifting back towards the top while he sunk deeper. He couldn't make out her words so he began clawing at the water, trying to stop his sinking. He had to know what she was saying!_

 _His eyes shot wide open even further when a glob of blood shot out of Hinata's mouth, covering her face in a red mist. With no need for caution, he began kicking and swatting at the water above him, trying to swim back up to the top. He couldn't die here. She needed him._

 _It was only then did he feel the breath leave his body completely. His chest was burning, begging him for air that was nowhere in reach. His eyes squeezed shut unintentionally as he put every last drop of effort into making it back to the surface. Slowly, he could feel that cold water get warmer and warmer. When it was at the temperature he first remembered, he finally emerged from the surface with a huge intake of air._

* * *

Breathing in and out continuously, Naruto looked around to see Hanabi and Himawari coming down the slide. He had just went down and was waiting for the two of them. The waterpark was absolutely amazing. It was clearly made more for the enjoyment of children and perhaps civilians as some of the amenities were things that were common or outdated shinobi tactics such as the zip-line. Regardless, it was fun being here. A good way to spend time with family if for nothing else.

It was once again just them there enjoying it however as it was apparently only open during the summer, but seeing as it was them, Chojuro had it opened for the day. There was no need for a life guard as there were four very capable shinobi around if anything happened. They had just arrived a few minutes ago and were already making the most of it.

Hanabi and Himawari, who had on a pair of floats, had just made it down the slide. He smiled seeing the little girl giggle and spit the water out of her mouth. Looking around more, he saw that Hinata and her father were sitting on a bench off to the side watching everyone. Then, his eyes locked onto his son who was sitting on the edge of the pool, laughing and waving at Himawari.

The previous day, Naruto was sure he made a break through. In honesty, he wasn't exactly sure what it is he had done, but he figured it was a step in the right direction. Waking up this morning he noticed a quite obvious shift in the boy's attitude. He didn't seem so stressed or angry. He seemed… calm, for lack of a better word. He seemed to be much brighter than he had been lately.

That's how he seemed to Naruto at least, but he wasn't the only one to notice the change. Hinata had as well. From her point of view, he was being a lot quieter than he usually is. It seemed to her he was deep in thought today. She wasn't sure what happened on that balcony last night, but whatever it was seemed to have worked. He did seem a lot less angry.

Whatever it was, Naruto wasn't sure, but he was curious as to why he wasn't getting in the water. When he asked him earlier, he said he wasn't ready to get in yet and had refused the floats he was given. Naruto assumed he was just too proud to be treated like the kid he was. He's only ten and with the state that they were living in before, he could just guess he had never learned how to swim. Smiling, he swam over to him.

Boruto didn't notice him until he was already there. "Hey, Bolt." Naruto said pushing himself out of the water and sitting next to him. "You're not gonna get in?" he asked him curiously.

"o-Oh.. I am. I just.. I was gonna wait for a while ya know?" he said awkwardly scratching the back of his head with the same smile Naruto used when he lied.

Naruto nodded at him with a knowing smile. "Well, alright then. You don't want to wait too long." He said. "You're missing out on all the fun." Boruto just nodded, not trusting his voice. Naruto slid of the edge and back into the water.

Yeah right. What was so fun about drowning? He didn't know how to swim and he wasn't going to diminish his super cool reputation by wearing arm floats. He had a lot on his mind anyways. Currently, he was caught in a mental debate with himself over whether or not he should trust his father. Was he all that he seemed to be? Or was he really just the coward he had envisioned when he used to picture him?

From his fights in the tournament, of course he knew he wasn't weak. He took Metal Lee's dad out with a single punch! But still, everyone has some kind of weakness. What if he put his trust in him, and he had faith that he could protect his mom, but he couldn't? What if he trusted him with Himawari's life for some wild reason, and he couldn't do it?

These were all of course incredibly far out 'what if's' he was coming up with, but he had been the man of the house for most of his life. He had to be, because he was the only one there. Now, his father's back so these responsibilities, that he himself believed he had been doing, would roll over on to him. But, could he even handle it? That's what was plaguing his mind today. Had anyone known that, they probably would've laughed and called him cute.

Swimming a ways down along the same side as Boruto, Naruto sported a mischievous smile and pretended to look at something. He dove under water and came back up, staring at his palms in awe. "Whoa… Boruto! Come look at this!" he called out, still staring at his hands in wonder.

Boruto was looking over curiously. "What is it?" he asked, not moving a muscle.

"i-I don't know! Its… its weird." He said slyly, putting his acting skills to the test.

Boruto pulled his feet from the water and trotted over, waving back to his mom who reminded him that there was no running by the pool. When he made it to the edge by where his father was, he tried to get a look at what was in his hands. "What is it?" he asked again.

Naruto moved closer to him and continued looking at nothing. He held it up slightly so that Boruto got the hint to lean down. Naruto smiled. "Here, cup your hands, I'll give it to you." He said with Boruto immediately complying. With a few more murmurs of 'here you go', he yanked the boy into the water with a laugh.

Immediately, Boruto felt as though he was drowning. When he reemerged, he was kicking and screaming for help, but all he heard was the laughing of his sister and aunt. Even worse, his mom and grandpa were chuckling as well. Why wouldn't they help him? Sure enough, he found something to grab onto and he clung to it with his whole body.

He didn't register that the thing he grabbed onto was chuckling as well until he finally calmed down. Pulling his head away, he was wrapped tightly around his dad as if he were a kid. "Haha, Hey you're alright." Naruto said reassuring him. "You're ok, I gotcha." He said, still trying to stop his chuckling.

Boruto was so shell shocked he couldn't even blink. "You tried to-!" he yelled spitting the water out of his mouth while he looked around in worry. "He tried to kill me!" he yelled, making everyone else laugh even harder. He was furious. This definitely put a dent in their budding relationship.

Still chuckling softly, Naruto tried calming him down again. "You're ok." Naruto said, slowly pushing the boy off of his form. Boruto unwrapped his legs, but kept both of his hands on his dad's shoulders.

They were only in five feet, so the water went up to Naruto's chest. Boruto tried to reach the bottom of the pool, but as soon as water reached his mouth he shook his head and pulled back up to his father's neck. "Nope." He said resting his head on his shoulder. He didn't care how weak or small he looked right then. This was a matter of life and death and he wouldn't risk his life to save his manly reputation.

Naruto and the others were all chuckling at his misfortune, but he didn't care. As long as this man was his life preserver, he'd let him laugh all day. He'd be mad about this whole thing when he was on solid land. For now, he'd just let him carry him as if he were still a toddler.

Finally calming down, Naruto tried whispering words of encouragement into his ear. "You're fine buddy. You're fine." He said receiving no response. "Look, I'll teach you how to swim. How's that sound?" he asked, receiving a simple and quick 'uh-uh' from the boy which made him laugh again. "Come on Bolt. It's not hard." He said tugging at him, once again trying to pry him off of himself. This time the boy had an iron death grip on him.

Boruto opened his eyes when he heard another splash from somewhere in front of him. Looking to see what it was, it was his mom who was slowly walking over to them, chuckling the whole way. "Boruto It's ok." She said, trying to calm him before she even got there.

When she finally made it over, Boruto clung to her faster than Naruto could hand him off. Hinata smiled and hugged him close to her. She whispered something softly to him that Naruto couldn't hear and when Boruto nodded at whatever it was, she hopped back a bit, nodding to Naruto.

Feeling he knew what was happening, Naruto hopped back as well. Strangely enough, Boruto twisted in Hinata's grip so that he was staring across at his father. None of them said anything, Boruto due to fear and Naruto due to uncertainty. Hinata whispered into his ear again, but the boy seemed much less confident in her words now that he was staring down at the clear water.

Seeing that bubble of fear he was caught in broke Naruto's heart. He knew that look very well. He had that look so many times… and he had no one there to tell him how to fight through it. But, he felt something. Something inside him was commanding him to do what he needed to. The words for the first time ever found their way to his mind like he had heard them himself some time before.

"Come on, Boruto." He said, catching the boy's attention. "You got this." A wave of déjà vu swam through his body, truly feeling as though he had seen this before. What was it? "Come on buddy, swim to me." He chided hopefully. "I won't let you fa-… I won't let you drown…" he corrected. In that brief little slip up, he knew exactly where he had heard those words. They weren't said to him… they were said by him.

* * *

 _The slobbering face of the infant Boruto stared across the way at his father in confusion. Hinata was holding him up, facing the man with an excited smile on her face. Naruto held his hands out in wait. They were only about five feet from each other, but he didn't want to risk it._

" _Come on, son. Come on." He said, his voice fluctuating higher in an attempt to keep his very short attention. Suddenly, the boy took a step forward to their surprise. "t-That's it… that's it, come on buddy!" he cheered him on happily._

* * *

Boruto had finally released his mother and started kicking his feet frantically to stay afloat. "That's it! You've got it Boruto! You got it!" he commended, clapping his hands and keeping them out to catch him when he got there. "Now, swim to me…" he said nodding his head encouragingly.

* * *

" _Walk to me. Walk to daddy!" he cheered, watching the very unbalanced and wobbly steps the boy took to get there. Half way between the two, they both held their hands out a little closer just in case he fell over. Seeing the hands that were right there, the drooling ball of joy fell forward, right into the arms of his waiting father with a giggle._

* * *

"Yeah! You did it!" Naruto cheered, holding onto Boruto with one arm and using his bandaged replacement to cheer triumphantly.

Boruto tucked his smiling face into Naruto's shoulder as everyone was now cheering him on as if he had done an incredible feat. All of his friends could already swim. No one ever taught him until now. It was very embarrassing, but he had to admit, it did feel good.

"That's my boy." Naruto said rubbing the back of his head.

Yeah, it felt really good. Hinata swam up behind him and kissed his open cheek. "I'm so proud of you Bolt." She cooed rubbing a hand through his wet hair. He smiled, hearing the shouting of Himawari, 'My turn, my turn!' over and over again.

Naruto sat him down on the edge again and received Himawari from Hanabi who plopped down next to Boruto. She leaned over and bumped his shoulder. "Aww, he's a daddy's boy now." She said jokingly. Boruto just bumped her back and smiled at Himawari.

Hiashi was watching it all from his spot on the bench. He smiled at the sight of his grandson's changing attitude. All these years, the boy had grown into somewhat of a mature kid. He was usually much more aggressive and angry or maybe just flat out moody. So much so, they would have thought him a teenager already. They had to remember that he was still a child which is something they had all forgotten long ago. In this light however, he seemed to be enjoying his adolescents more than he ever has.

It was a gift of his son in law, to just bring out the best in people, no matter who they are. It was a true and undeniable gift. Having never had a son of his own, he found himself seeing Naruto as exactly what he would want if he ever did have one. Hinata and the kids were in great hands.

* * *

When it was nearing the afternoon, the family had finally had their fun at the waterpark and headed out separately to explore the main village of Kiri in pairs. Hanabi took Himawari to some kind of beauty salon they had seen on the way in while Naruto took Boruto with him to go meet up with the Mizukage once again. Hiashi was feeling tired from the days excitement and went back to the room for some rest.

That left Hinata who was on a tour with a young tour guide who was taking her out to the lake in the outskirts of the village. The young brown haired girl was gushing about the stories she's heard of the famous Hinata Uzumaki. It was of course flattering for her, but after hearing it for so long, it was kind of annoying. She didn't mention it though.

"And then, someone said you were like.. the first one that Mr. Naruto passed the Kyubi chakra into! I mean, that's so cool!" she said receiving a bashful smile in return. "And then like a year after the war, I heard it was you and Mr. Naruto that saved the world when we had all those meteors and something about the moon? I don't know the whole story, but that's still amazing! That's where you two fell in love right? That's so romantic! I hope I have a story like that one day!" she said.

Hinata continued to thank the girl profusely. "Thank you. Thank you. So, is this the uh, the lake?" she asked pointing towards the body of water they had finally arrived at.

"Oh! Yes ma'am. This is Lake Terumi, named after the previous Mizukage." She explained. "It was man made just a few short years ago and is commonly used for Shinobi training."

"It seems to be empty today." She said looking around and spotting no one else.

The girl nodded and smiled at her. "Yes ma'am. That is due to your husband. When everyone heard Naruto Uzumaki was in Kiri, all of the Jonin sensei insisted on having their training within the village in hopes of meeting him."

Hinata nodded at the expected circumstance. "Well, it is very beautiful here." She said receiving a simple nod of agreement.

"This is my favorite place in the village." She said sweetly. "I bring the academy students out here sometimes to plant the flowers you see along the sides." She said pointing out all of the magnificent little floral patterns lining the edge.

Hinata smiled and squatted down to get a better look at them. "They're beautiful." She said, receiving a 'thank you' in reply. "I have a friend back home who owns a flower shop."

"Ino Yamanaka right?" The girl asked. Hinata gave her a curious look, asking her how she knew that. "We import seeds from there." She said.

Hinata nodded and continued admiring the beautiful pattern of flowers. After a few minutes of talking about the kids that assisted her, the tour guide informed Hinata she had to go. "If you'd like you can follow me back." She said.

Hinata shook her head. "No that's fine. I remember the way." She said. "I want to stay for a little while longer." The tour guide nodded and left her to her lonesome. It was absolutely beautiful watching the water change color with the waning light of the sun.

When it got dark enough, the street lights around her began to flicker. Having had her fill of the beautiful scenery, she stood to her feet and began heading back. Along the way, she passed by a bush that began to rustle, frightening her a bit.

"Hello?" she called out cautiously, now having a sickening feeling that someone was following her. Looking around, there was no one in sight. That uneasy feeling refused to leave her however. It was resting in the pit of her stomach but she continued on. Hearing it again, she stopped fully and turned around. Without a moment's hesitation, she activated her Byakugan.

* * *

"So, this is your son huh?" Chojuro asked, shaking Boruto's extended hand with a nod of his head.

"Yup." Naruto quipped with pride. "This is Boruto."

Chojuro nodded. "Well, you sure have a strong grip on you." He complimented.

Boruto was feeling a bit overwhelmed being in the presence of a Kage who wasn't Kakashi. "Thank you sir." He said, showing his manners that were instilled brutally by his grandpa many years ago.

"So, Chojuro." Naruto said drawing his attention. "Word around town is Rai is pregnant." He said with a curious tone. "Didn't mention that yesterday."

Chojuro chuckled. "Ah, yeah. Must've slipped our minds." He said with a sly smile.

Naruto just chuckled. "Yeah, I'm sure. Well. Congratulations." He said shaking his hand.

Chojuro smiled back and nodded. "Yeah… I'm honestly a little scared if I'm honest…"

Naruto nodded back and smiled at him. "I know the feeling. But, once your babies here, I guarantee you, it's the greatest feeling ever ya know?" he said rubbing the back of his head.

"Ah." He said looking over to Boruto. "You're father seems to love you a lot." He said receiving a smile from the boy.

Naruto rubbed his head. "Believe it…"

Boruto could do nothing else but smile while the two of them went back to their conversation. He couldn't describe how absolutely perfect these past two days have been. Usually, he's someone with a lot to say, but as of recent, the words just won't seem to find him.

When he was younger, this is what he dreamed of. This perfect family complete with all four of them. He dreamed of a lot of things when he was younger. He dreamed of his sister getting healthier. Or his mom being happier. He dreamed of a father who loved him, contrary to the one he had assumed didn't.

For some unknown reason, everything he's ever dreamed of has been made into a reality by this man. All those unbelievable stories he was told so long ago didn't seem as farfetched. It only took him a few months to fix everything wrong in his life, so… maybe there was a lot more to him than he had first summarized. He had to stop for a second and ponder the answer to the question plaguing his mind at the moment. Did he love his father? To that, he wasn't sure, but he didn't hate him. Maybe he could trust him with the family after all.


	11. Chapter 11

**Implausible Tales chapter 11**

 _Two kunai in hand and his black hooded cape whipping violently in the wind, Naruto trudged towards the new location that popped up. It had been so long since a new one arose. Years even. He wasn't completely sure as his sense of time was completely gone. He had definitely been here for years though. So many years._

 _Every single day he awoke and trained until he could no longer walk. He discovered new abilities he wasn't aware of from receiving the power of the sage during the war. Stuff of legends that he could now control to at least a basic sense. Every elemental affiliation, most of the sub elements and even, to some extent, wood release. None of it mattered as he lacked the necessary jutsu to perform anything with them. At the very least he could make a tree sprout and spew lava from his mouth, but other than that he was stuck with the same old techniques of his shadow clones and his Rasengan. It was a lot easier to funnel chakra into his prized technique however._

 _What's worse, he soon realized sage mode is out of reach in this world. He couldn't gather any nature chakra because there is no nature chakra here. Throughout all these years, he came to realize how lax things had been in the aftermath of the war. Without the need to evolve, he wasn't getting stronger. That's why Zetsu brought him here. That's why he placed a newer, tougher threat every now and then._

 _When he was awake, he was training, when he was hungry, he hunted, and when he was tired, he slept. Those were his only three tasks now. The only three objectives he's had in so long. When he explored all there was to explore, that was all he was left with._

 _Now, two new locations had arrived. The first was a massive mountain that was split at the very tip, just in front of the lowest sun. The second location was a barren field of some kind of black stone. For some reason, he was compelled to head there first. It was a pulling sensation that hit him as soon as it arrived. Also, from this distance, it seemed as though the black liquid was spreading, as though it was being made right now._

 _Pulling his feet through the soft sand, he could see the edge of the black stoned location a few yards away and true to his further perspective, it was spreading. Like a billion tiny spiders crawling across the ground, the edge of the black stone continued to expand until it completely solidified. He wasn't sure what it was he should be expecting, but he's been here so long, he was praying for the best, which in this case was also the worst._

 _When he made it, he paused at the edge. Looking around, there didn't seem to be anything completely out of the ordinary as of yet, but he remained cautious. Stepping onto the stone slowly, he began treading over the black surface and was surprised when he looked down to see it rippling, like water. Stopping a few feet later, he heard something behind him._

 _When he turned around, the visage of Obito stood at the edge of the sand, just staring at him. He looked him in the eye for a few seconds before peeking over his shoulder to see Madara. Hearing more footsteps from behind him again, he turned._

 _This one he knew was not a hallucination. Zetsu walked towards him slowly before stopping a few yards away. "Your time is up, Uzumaki." He said opening his eyes displaying the menacing eyes Naruto has seen in his past. The hybrid Sharingan and Rinnegan appearing on his forehead and the blank white eyes of the Byakugan peering into him. "I hope you haven't wasted it." He warned ominously._

 _Without a single word for the man, Naruto rushed forward, throwing his fist forward. Zetsu blocked it with his forearm and grabbed his other one before he could even swing it._

" _You seem ready. That's good. But, I want to fight you at your best." He said as a white hand popped out of his stomach, ramming its fingers into Naruto's abdomen._

 _Naruto grunted and hopped back when Zetsu released him._

" _ **Kid! Kid!? Can you hear me!?"**_

' _Yeah, yeah I can.' Naruto responded. 'Glad your back.'_

" _ **How long has it been?"**_

' _Four years, I'm assuming.' Naruto replied, staring across at Zetsu._

" _ **So, it's finally time…"**_ _Kurama replied hollowly._ _ **"Let's give him hell kid."**_ _He growled out, funneling his chakra into Naruto's system._

 _His body erupted in that bright yellow flame pattern with his whisker marks darkening and his hooded cape replacing the chakra formed high collar cloak from the war. His eyes shifted into that unique pattern of his and four black orbs popped off the pattern of his cape, surrounding his back._

" _You have your toys back." Zetsu said lowly. "You've been training for what probably felt like a lifetime, all for this moment… You're here now… What are you going to do with all that power?" As he spoke, every creature Naruto has come in contact with while in this world began surrounding them. The wolves, the snake, and even the panther which he had thought he killed. Along with those, more humanoid looking creatures of a variety of shapes and sizes rose from the black ground below._

* * *

Hanabi and Himawari walked into the suite to see it empty. Their appointment ran longer than expected, so they assumed they would be late for dinner. But, it didn't seem like anyone was home. "Hello!" Himawari called out eagerly, excited to show off her freshly sculpted nails to her mother.

"I don't think anyone's home, bunny." Hanabi said, looking around curiously. She headed towards the kitchen, stopping when she noticed that the balcony door was open. Walking out, her father stood there staring at the last sliver of sunlight that casted its glow across his face. "Father." she said standing next to him.

Hiashi nodded her way and looked back out to the horizon. "Hanabi. How was it?" he asked curiously.

She thought it over for a moment. "It wa-.."

"Grandpa!" yelled Himawari, sprinting out the door, finally locating someone she could show her nails off to. "We got our nails done!" she yelled happily as she was scooped up in his arms.

"Oh, I see that. They are very lovely." He appraised with a nod.

Himawari smiled in excitement, glad to hear his approval. "I got them purple. That's my mommy's favorite color." She said in a knowing tone.

"Of course it is. What's your favorite color?" he asked kicking off the never ending string of descriptions Himawari had for the colors and why she liked each one.

Hanabi smiled from the side, watching her babble on and on about the child friendly topic. Slowly, her eyes caught sight of a flash of light in the distance. The far distance, near the edge of the village. At the foot of the man-made lake. She tilted her head curiously. It would be too far for her Byakugan to see, but something was drawing her attention there.

"Hey, father? I'll be back in a bit." She said cutting into their conversation.

Himawari gave her a curious look. "Where are you going?" she asked.

Hanabi rubbed her back. "I'm just gonna go do some grown up stuff." She said in a teasing tone, making the little girl pout. Hiashi gave her a strange look, knowing something was wrong. Hanabi simply nodded at him as she headed back into the apartment.

With her gone, Himawari went right back into her childish bantering about their adventure. Hiashi somewhat zoned out as he looked around. Slowly, his eyes traveled over towards the lake. They lingered there for a second before his attention was called back to his grandchild.

* * *

 _ **-Cliff overlooking Kiri-**_

"So, you and Uncle Sasuke sealed her away?" Boruto asked curiously as he walked next to his dad upon a cliff overlooking the whole village. Naruto and he had left the Mizukage's office a while ago and opted to go for a walk. With the direction the conversation took with Chojuro, their conversation was now on the amazing tale of the three day war, more specifically the role Naruto played in it.

Boruto had his opening to bring the subject up when there were literally groups of young shinobi waiting outside the Mizukage's building wanting to meet their hero. His question was as blatant as it appeared in his mind. 'What are you so famous for?'

"Yeah." Naruto answered reminiscently. "Well, your Aunt Sakura was a big help. As well as Kakashi-sensei."

Boruto nodded in silent contemplation. "But… why did you two fight?" He couldn't understand the relationship between Naruto and Sasuke yet. It was strange for him to hear about.

Naruto smiled. "Because… that's how we understand each other." He said as they came to a stop and turned towards the village. "It was once said a long time ago that when two skilled fighters who are on equal grounds face off in battle… they can read each other's hearts without saying a single word."

Boruto's eyes were on the village, but his ears were listening intently. "Is that true?"

Naruto smiled and rubbed his head. "It's very true." He said. "You'll understand one day." With that said, they fell back into silence, just listening to the wind and the lively nature of the village.

With the validation of the things he did, Boruto felt a bit more content with who his childhood hero turned out to be. With mostly all of his questions answered, there was still one that was eating at the back of his mind. It weighed his heart down to even say it in his head and before he knew it, his eyes were tearing up. "Where were you?" Boruto's question cut through the silence like a kunai through a throat. Naruto blinked in confusion and looked down to him. Boruto's eyes were hidden beneath his hair as he held his head down. "Where have you been?"

The silence ate up whatever moment they were having prior to Menma's outburst. Naruto was at a loss of words. When he was younger, that question, in its present tense, was a reoccurring plea he held for parents that he didn't even know. In a way, he wanted to say he understood, but he didn't. His dad never came back. His dad had an excuse for being gone forever. He didn't have an excuse for not being fast enough.

Naruto shut his eyes with a sigh. When he opened them again, he stared up to the sky. The beautiful night sky filled with a million stars that danced within the light of the full moon. "The stars are so cool…" he said drawing Boruto's attention.

He looked up to him with his visage slowly morphing into an angry scowl, thinking he was blowing his question off. Before he could explode in anger and demand the answers he was looking for Naruto continued.

"There weren't any stars where I've been." Boruto's features visibly softened. "I've got another long story for you…" he said plopping down on his butt, gesturing for Boruto to do the same. "I didn't run off Boruto… I would never run off." From there, he began his tale yet again, this time finding it a lot more endearing.

By the end of it, Boruto understood completely. So he never up and left, he was simply taken. That was something forgivable. He was essentially a kidnap victim to someone way more powerful. The story itself sounded a lot like all the other tales he's heard, which of course by now he was expecting. He didn't go into too much detail about what happened when the four years of training were up, but it was enough tension to lead Boruto to believe it wasn't fun.

"The whole time there… Boruto, I never stopped thinking of you and your mom." He said softly.

Boruto's eyes were on the blades of grass between his legs. "What about Himawari?" he asked innocently.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "w-Well, Himawari was uh… she was c-conceived.. on the night I was taken… so I didn't even know about her." He said awkwardly.

"She was conceived?" He asked curiously. "Well, what does that mean?"

Naruto choked on his own spit trying to think of a way to explain that to him. "u-Uh, It's uh… Well, it's like when… a man and a woman.. who love each other very mu-.. How bout I tell you when you're older?" he asked receiving a shrug from the confused boy. From there, they sat in silence for a few seconds.

Then, again killing the silence with a heart panging proclamation Boruto spoke up. "I'm sorry I hated you." Naruto didn't say anything. Instead, he placed his hand on the ground between the two and to the shock of Boruto, a small tree began to grow before his eyes. When it got to a fairly acceptable height, an apple sprouted from it. Naruto plucked it off and handed it to him with a smile.

* * *

Walking back towards the hotel, Naruto waved at all of the night life adventurers of Kiri that called out to him in excitement. Boruto waved at them as well, feeling comfort from the bandaged arm of his dad draped around his shoulders. "Hey dad?"

Naruto looked down at him. "Hmm?"

"Do you think you can train me when we get home?" he asked curiously.

Naruto seemed confused. "You're still in the academy aren't you?" he asked curiously.

"Well, yeah but… all of my friends are already training… Like Sarada and Metal… That's why they're so much better than me."

Naruto was taken back. Of course he realized he was talking about the taijutsu tournament they had on father's day, but he thought he did great. "What? Come on Bolt, you're right up there with them." He said in shock.

He shrugged and shoved his hands into his pockets. "I want to be as strong as you one day."

Naruto smiled and stopped him. He turned him so they were face to face. "You will be. You'll be so much stronger than I am one day."

"But, you're like the strongest shinobi to ever live." He said, restating the halfhearted statement said by Chojuro just a while ago.

Naruto smiled and rubbed his head. "There have been plenty of people stronger than me." He said as they continued on.

"Like who?" he asked curiously.

Naruto thought about it longer than he thought he'd have to. "Uh… well, like your grandpa."

"Grandpa is stronger than you?" Boruto asked in shock.

Naruto quickly realized he meant Hiashi. "u-Uh… yeah. Yeah sure, but I was talking about your other grandpa.. my dad." He said.

"Oh… the thhh-.."

"Fourth Hokage." Naruto said with a chuckle.

"Kakashi says you're way stronger than the fourth though. He said you were the strongest person he knows."

"Well, there's your uncle Sasuke too." He said trying to maintain some humbleness in the face of praise from the one person he didn't mind getting it from.

Boruto seemed astonished. "What? You're way stronger than Sasuke-sensei. You could have beat him and Aunt Sakura by yourself. You just didn't want to hurt them like you did Metal Lee's dad."

Naruto was actually very impressed. That was fairly close to the reason. It was more towards him not wanting to cause too much damage. Of course Sakura ended up doing enough for the lot of them. Boruto was very perceptive for a kid his age. "Yeah I guess so buddy. Well, hey about that training. How about when we get home w-…" he stopped and looked further down the road. Boruto wondered what happened until he saw a young woman they didn't know running down the street screaming his name.

"Mr. Uzumaki! There's trouble!" she yelled, completely out of breath. Naruto and Boruto began jogging over to her, trying to get the details. When they heard 'Your wife' no more words were needed.

"Please, take care of my son!" he demanded over the protests of the smaller blonde boy yelling out to him. He jumped away and took to the rooftops, his sage mode fully active and searching for everything, anything… one thing in particular.

Naruto was in complete panic mode as he extended his field of range, trying desperately to locate Hinata's chakra. It was nowhere to be seen, but he could feel Hanabi's along with someone else. Whoever it was had a very familiar chakra signature. Almost too familiar.

" **Naruto. Be careful. I remember this chakra."** Kurama warned within his head.

'So do I! Whose is it?" he asked, hoping maybe Kurama knew.

The beast grumbled lowly. **"I don't know. It's distorted somehow."**

'I can't feel Hinata!' he demanded, hoping Kurama could. To his horror, he remained silent. As they drew closer, another signature appeared, this one belonging to Hiashi without a doubt. They were now close enough to hear the sounds of the raging battle. "Rotation!" With that loud swirl of violently turning chakra, he finally broke through the trees and landed on the rearranged battle site.

Only three people remained. Two considering one of them was no longer breathing. Naruto landed and stared across at Hiashi and a hysterically crying Hanabi who was cradling the reason for his tightening chest.

"Hinata!" Without a moment's hesitation, he rushed to her side, frantically demanding answers. "What happened!? Wha-… Hinata!" The group of shinobi were all in an uproar by the time a group of medical shinobi dropped down from the trees along with their Mizukage.

Naruto was cupping her face in his hand, trying to shake her awake, praying she was just out cold. "Baby-baby, look at me! Hinata! Look at me!" With his sage mode activated, he stared at her body within his hands, but he refused to notice the fact that he couldn't feel her chakra. He noticed, he just refused to believe it. One of the medics plopped down on the other side of him, her hands glowing green as she tried to do what she could.

Naruto watched her with tears already falling down his face. The young doctor removed her shaking hands and remorsefully shut her eyes. Naruto still wouldn't accept that. "n-… No.." he gently laid her down on the ground and placed his own hands on her chest as if he were going to give her CPR. His body erupted into the bright yellow flames of his chakra cloak and carried over, flooding Hinata with a red hue as well. "No-no! No! Hinata!" he yelled as he began pumping her chest gently. "Come on… Come oon!"

The others watched in a mixture of shock and sadness, never imagining seeing someone like Naruto Uzumaki breaking down in such a way.

To their shock, the pattern on his back came to life and six black orbs popped out. One of them flew around in front of him and he grabbed it. When he did, it glowed a very bright white light and he thrusted into her body. Silence enveloped the area as Naruto pleadingly stared down at her body, as if he were expecting her to spring back to life. When she didn't, he broke down.

"Hinata! Please wake up!" the cracking of his voice making his pleas all the more heartbreaking, Hiashi stepped forward.

He placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to calm him down. Naruto shrugged it away and continued pumping her chest over and over again, begging any and everything to bring her back. "Hinata! Hina-… Argh!" he yelled leaning down and placing his forehead onto hers. He turned his head so that her mouth was by his ear, trying to hear something that would tell him she was still here, but all he heard was silence.

"Mom?" A little quivering voice called out, drawing everyone's attention. Boruto came up slowly, not paying any mind to the eyes of the people on him. He was staring at his mother's hand that was far too motionless to belong to her. He took a timid step forward before he hit his knees on the other side of his father. He didn't even care to see how heartbroken the man was at the moment. His attention was held by one very pale face.

"Hiashi… Who was this?" Naruto asked, finally gaining some composure while in the face of one of his children. The Hyuga clan head seemed as though he were going to tell him to wait, but Naruto had no patients for that at the moment. "Who WAS it!?" he yelled out, his chakra flaring up dangerously, shocking everyone by its malevolent vibe. Even Boruto fell back in shock, now seeing the anger bubbling in Naruto's eyes as he stared down at the body of his wife.

Hiashi held his jaw shut and stared at the scene in sorrow. "It was Madara…" when that name left his mouth, a shiver ran down every single person's spine except for Boruto who wasn't aware of the severity or why it was so appalling. "He's alive…"

Naruto's unrivaled anger was replaced with pure shock and utter sorrow. That means that dream two days ago… it wasn't a dream. It was a warning.

"He came for you…"

With that statement hanging in the air, the area fell silent, no one daring to say anything. As he always did, Boruto cut through that silence with an incredulous question that stopped Naruto's heart cold. "h-… He came for you?" The quivering of the words making it all the more tear-jerking. Naruto's chakra cloak dispersed and his body went limp as he sat back on his heels, staring at Hinata.

Hanabi, who had finally gained control of herself came up behind the boy to help. "Boru-.."

"No!" he yelled pushing her hand away. He scrambled to his feet and pushed Naruto back and away from Hinata. "Get away from her!" He laid his body over hers protectively as he hugged onto her for what would most likely be the last time. The other's watched in shock at the hysterical crying of this ten year old child.

Boruto was shaking his mom's shoulders violently, begging her to open her eyes or say something to him. She did not. She remained there, lifeless as she had been. He shut his eyes tightly, crying against her chest until he heard footsteps, much lighter than any he was expecting. Opening his eyes, a red-faced Himawari plopped down adjacent to him, claiming her father's previous spot. She put her hand on Hinata's cheek for a second and in a moment of sheer childish innocence, she removed her necklace and placed it on her mother's stomach. "This will make her feel better Boruto."

Her own trembling lip didn't uphold the thought that she didn't understand however, and soon after tears began falling. Her silent tears grew until she was fully crying. She got to her feet and wiped her tears on the way to her aunts awaiting embrace.

Naruto had not moved from his spot since he was pushed by Boruto. All the same, Boruto's crying did not lighten. He scrambled to his feet again and leaped his mother's body. In a moment that shocked everybody, his fist connected with Naruto's cheek. Of course it did little else than bounce off, but the implication of it was a lot more painful for the blonde hero and a lot more shocking for the others.

Naruto didn't even seem as though he noticed he was hit. His eyes were still staring at the lifeless face of his wife, completely ignoring the anger filled gaze of his son directly in front of him. Boruto's tears continued and when he noticed he was ignored, he hit him again.. and again and again until his arms were captured by his grandfather, but he fought nonetheless trying to get out of his grasp, spewing words of pure hatred at the man still sitting on the ground.

"I HATE you! I… I HATE YOU! Why couldn't you just stay DEAD!?" He yelled out trying to kick whatever was around at him as he flailed around violently. "I WISH YOU NEVER CAME BACK! I HATE YOU! I WANT MY MOM! You should have died! Not her! Not her…" His string of heart puncturing insults grew dimmer and dimmer the further he was led away from the group, but the weight of the words clung to Naruto like glue. A broken heart was grinded to dust on this night, and the Mizukage and his medical staff were there to witness it.

* * *

 _ **-Konoha-**_

Through the new found technology, the news of Hinata Uzumaki's death made it home a few days ago. The outbursts were all expected reactions. Utter sadness for their fallen village heroine from those who didn't know her personally, and outraged demands for answers from those who did. As if the heavens felt the dread of the unwelcome situation, the sky greyed with a small drizzle of rain silently falling upon them all as they remained piled at the gate all adorning black attire in preparation for the immediate funeral that was already set up. Today was the day they were to return and the entire village was there to give their support.

The Hokage and his band of legendary rookies all at the forefront, completely silent. All that had to be said was finished. They were aware of what happened and they all had a collective idea of what their heartbroken friend was probably going through. They were just awaiting his return.

Sasuke stood next Sakura who was well into tears as were most of the others, the teary-eyed Sarada settled in front of them, sharing the remorse her mother felt. He didn't show it, but he could feel that pain Naruto was feeling. Even from the distance they were at, he could feel it. When the news of what happened and who was responsible reached him, he had immediately planned on going out to find his fellow clansmen. He was stopped by his wife who reminded him Naruto would need him here when he returned. That anger hasn't left him though.

As for Sakura, the tears wouldn't stop. Hinata was one of her best friends and now she's just gone. She almost felt to blame in a way, irrationally remarking to herself that if she and Sasuke had won that tournament again, this would have never happened. It was a selfish attempt at placing the blame on herself for no particular reason. The thought of how it would affect Naruto and the kids keeping her grounded in reality.

Sarada was mournful with this being the first time someone truly close to her died in which she could understand. They weren't necessarily close, but the fact that she knew her is what did it. The last time she was put in this position is when her mother's sensei died when she was younger. Back then, she didn't understand what death was and why her mother was crying. Now, just thinking of how heartbroken Boruto must be was enough to make her tear up.

The wait was so tantalizingly slow that she almost wanted to just run out there and find them. Looking around, she could see pretty much the rest of her classmates including Chocho, Shikadai, Metal, and Inojin standing along with their parents, most of whom were in tears. The entire village was here to greet the party.

She looked up when she felt her father's lone hand gently place itself on her shoulder. He was staring out to the road, drawing her attention there as well. Sure enough, there they were. The party of Hyuga clansmen carrying that white casket, a few Kiri shinobi around the group apparently escorting them back.

With them just a few yards away, the villagers split off to the sides, making a path for them to go through when they arrived. Still, no one said a word. The light rain was the only sound present. When they were in range, behind the casket was the crying family of Hinata Hyuga. Hiashi carrying Himawari whose face was tucked into the crook of his neck and Hanabi with her hand on Boruto's back, nudging him along. Behind them was the very sad looking Naruto walking silently alongside the Mizukage and his wife. His hands in his pockets and his eyes on the ground directly before his every step.

When they reached the crowd of awaiting villagers, their stride was not impeded by anyone and Naruto refused to lift his head. They walked and walked through that split sea of black gowned individuals all the way towards the gravesite. When they made it, her casket was laid to rest next to that of her cousins, Neji Hyuga. A new addition to the gravesite of heroes.

* * *

That night, Hanabi took the kids home, allowing Naruto some extra time at the gravesite. All day, he had been answering the questions of his friends as best he could. All the same, 'what happened?', 'how is Madara still alive?', 'what are we gonna do?' He answered them all systematically, finding the answers of any of that to be unexplainable. He didn't know what happened exactly. He couldn't even begin to guess at how the man was still alive. He didn't know what to do. He had no idea what to do anymore.

His world was gone now. The world he had fought so hard to make it back to was shattered into a million pieces by the man that had almost succeeded in doing so the first time. His mind again traveled back to the words of that wise old man all those years ago. How much more could life throw his way? He lost everything seven years ago, unsure if he was going to ever get it back, yet he did. And now it was gone for good.

He stood at the foot of that freshly filled grave with the new name resting at its head. His wife's name chiseled within it. The rain continued to pour, much more viciously now. Through all of it, that one presence remained, lingering far longer than any of the others could. Breathing in and out slowly, Naruto dropped down to his knees. From behind, his shoulders began to quake vehemently until hysterical crying escaped his muffled throat.

The pitter patter of footsteps behind him did not alarm him. The footsteps stopped right next to him and a hand touched his shoulder. No words were said, but he heard the man clearly. "i-… I couldn't save her Sasuke…" he spit out painfully. "All this…" he slapped himself in the face, harder and harder. "-FUCKING strength and I couldn't protect her!"

Sasuke didn't say a word. Instead, he watched as Naruto seemingly calmed down. He shut his eyes and seemed to steady his breathing. His face contorted painfully and when he reopened his eyes, he broke down again. The two remained there for about an hour until Sasuke decided to take Naruto home.

* * *

Laying in his bed alone for the first time, Naruto stared up at the wood of his ceiling. His chest aching painfully and his mind wandering in places he had never tread before. The week's events were haunting him already. If he had just heeded the warning then she'd still be here. She'd be right next to him right now. His bandaged hand fell flat on her side of the bed.

He was heartbroken and afraid. A son that hates his guts once again, a daughter that can't look at him without crying and those goddamned looks of remorse from the villagers. Those empty threats from his friends to fix the problem. He couldn't take it.

Rolling out of bed, he threw his clothes back on and grabbed his kunai pouch. Stepping out of his room, he walked down the hall silently, not the faintest of sounds to his movements. He creaked open the door to his daughters room. There she was laying in her bed, her face still stained red from the tears shed a few hours ago. In the light of the moonlight, he watched one shining droplet roll down her cheek, enlightening him to what it was she may be dreaming of.

He walked in and squatted down next to her bed. Gently, his bandaged hand stroked her hair while his other wiped the tear from her cheek. She nuzzled into the touch but remained fast asleep. With a heavy heart, Naruto leaned forward and kissed her forehead gently.

Leaving her room, he made his way to the next one. Opening the door, Boruto was facing the wall, curled up into a fetal position with the blankets pulled tightly over his body. Naruto walked closer to him nonetheless and stopped seeing a picture of Hinata from the living room sitting on his desk. He shut his eyes in an attempt to hold back those teary eyes. With a quaking sigh, he leaned over and gently rubbed his hair for only a second. "I'm so sorry buddy…" he whispered gently. On his way out, he didn't see the boy flip over and watch him leave.

Heading down the stairs, he made it to the living room to see Hanabi asleep on the couch, her face just as red as Himawari's. He felt much better knowing she was here for them if anything happened. He looked around the house for what felt like the last time. Having enough, he silently opened the door and left. On his way through the garden, he stopped seeing something that caught his eye. In the trash bin by the street was that black and red jacket he had bought for Boruto.

Pulling it out gently, he weighed it in his hands momentarily before continuing on. Unaware of the eyes watching him from the second floor of his home. He silently left the village, alerting no one. This was something he had to do alone.


	12. Chapter 12

**Implausible Tales chapter 12**

 _Two black staffs in hand, Naruto jumped up and away from the giant snake coming down to swallow him whole. He crossed the rods in front of his body, protecting him from the metallic rods coming to impale him. On his way down, he released one of the black rods, allowing it to turn back into one of the black orbs that hovered behind him. Holding out his palm, he produced a rasenshuriken that filled in the center with molten lava. He threw it at the biggest group of giant humanoid figures, disintegrating them in seconds._

 _As he landed, he jumped back before Zetsu's hand snatched him from the darkness of a portal. When he landed, he was wrapped in a bear hug from one of the creatures. Struggling for a second, his chakra cloak expanded and ripped the arms from the monstrosity and used its body to hit another one that was charging him head on. Hearing a roar, he fell back, avoiding the leaping panther that crashed into another humanoid monster behind him. Two chakra claws popped out of his back and threw him upward before the wolves converged on him._

 _While in the air, he couldn't avoid the flying punch from Zetsu that threw him back a very considerable ways. He landed in a shallowly populated area away from all the liquefied black creatures and Zetsu. He groaned painfully and rolled until he could get back to his feet. Flexing out his body, he grew alarmed seeing a black bird like creature soaring towards him. On its back was Zetsu who had him zeroed in. He held his hand out and three black rods popped out of his palms shooting towards Naruto much faster than he was ready for._

 _Quickly without even thinking, he slammed his hands together, causing a fair sized tree to shoot up in front of him, stopping the rods inches away from his face. Creating the two staffs again, he jumped up into the air and hovered much to Zetsu's surprise. On the bird, he charged the blonde in a nosedive. Naruto shot forward as well, swiveling in and out of range of the incredibly fast projectiles coming to impale him. The two crashed into each other with Naruto losing the encounter. His throat was held firmly in Zetsu's hand and they were in a straight nose dive towards the ground. Zetsu swung him around and threw him down._

 _Naruto's chakra cloak exploded once again, just before he hit the ground, cushioning his impact. While down, the wolves came howling his way. With no time for this, he formed his famous jutsu hand sign and in an explosion of white smoke, hundreds upon hundreds of the yellow shrouded Naruto's appeared, attacking the creatures and clearing his path to Zetsu._

 _Lunging out of the hoard of battling clones, he swirled into a corkscrew motion, dodging the rod that nearly impaled him. He leaped the ball of flames that followed behind and stuck his leg out, kicking Zetsu off the bird. Hovering in the air, he saw a portal open up beneath the diving Zetsu and quickly turned up. To his surprise, the portal opened at his back and Zetsu shot out, tackling him from behind. In their descent, they traded punches until Zetsu got ahold of his leg, throwing him down to the ground._

 _This time, his chakra cloak didn't disperse quick enough to cushion the blow, so it hurt like hell. The air in his body quickly left him and he choked trying to get it back. His vision began to blur until he looked around him and focused back in. The black liquefied ground beneath him was retracting and all of the creatures with it. His dizzy gaze landed on what seemed to be Hinata at first glance before he blinked and it turned out to be Zetsu._

" _You've survived the first day Naruto. Prepare yourself for a war you have not yet known." He said ominously before sinking into the ground as well, leaving Naruto alone in the sand. His chakra cloak dispersed, leaving him in only his sage mode. Kurama worked diligently on healing his body while yelling at him to stand to his feet._

 _Naruto did just that and looked around for direction. His eyes landed on his cave which he could see that same image of Hinata standing at the edge. Her hair and white loose dress billowing in the wind, perfectly synchronized. Clinching his eyes tightly, when he opened them, she was gone._

* * *

 _ **-Sometime later-**_

 _Naruto laid on his side, right next to the blazing fire that held his attention. He watched it dance and sway on the chunks of wood within the makeshift pit. When the wood ran out, he stuck his hand on the ground, sprouting a new, fairly small chunk of wood within it. His ear was pressed firmly to the ground and he was frankly in a fairly uncomfortable position, but the ever so slight rumbling of the fire brought him some level of peace in a moment such as this._

 _The war has been waged for months now. Or year's maybe, he wasn't sure. He was just tired. So very, very tired. Every day, he awoke to the spreading of the black landscape, reaching further and further every day. He'd battle Zetsu and his army of unholy monsters that grew more and more dangerous every day. Then, the black stone would retract, signifying the end of another day, leaving him time to find something to eat, usually a dead wolf forgotten by the stone, and get in a few very short hours of sleep before it happened again._

 _This night, he found himself restless. He was tired, but as if his eye lids were glued open, he couldn't fall asleep. So, instead he stared at that blazing fire in front of him, making it grow and shrink with his chakra to pass the time. As he laid there, mesmerized by the flames that danced in the breeze of the cave, he felt something. Something familiar that crept up into his chest. It was a familiar presence. A conversant chakra he could pinpoint anywhere._

 _It grew closer and closer until it was nearly right on top of him, hovering right there as if he were back home. It was Hinata. Her hands snaked across his body starting at his legs. She crawled forward until her face was right by his ear. He didn't turn his head to look at her in any way, but he knew it was her. Her breath tickled the side of his cheek as if she were running her fingers across his whisker marks gently._

" _We don't quit… and we don't run…" her gentle voice whispered softly. A tear leaked from Naruto's eye and rolled off the mid-section of his nose but nothing else signified he was even aware of what was happening. His face remained completely blank and his eyes were still casually watching the fire, illuminating the pair of eyes on the wall. "I miss you Naruto… I want you to come home..." Again, he didn't respond or move in any way. His breathing was increasing ever so slightly. "Please, come home to us…"_

 _He began hyperventilating uncontrollably and his visage grew extremely angry._

" _Please. I need you here Naruto. I need you here! Plea-AH!" Naruto spun around quickly and grabbed her throat._

" _I'll fucking kill you…" he growled out. Hinata's face looked truly shocked until a smile crept onto it and she melted into that black stone substance along with the ground around him. Naruto turned towards the mouth of his cave to see Zetsu and his army heading for his cave. He grabbed his hooded cape and his two kunai and went to war._

* * *

Walking down the muddied road he had once traveled to get home, Naruto held his head low, protecting him from the very light drizzling of rain around him. Pulling the small jacket in his hands around to the front of him, he held it open with both hands and examined it. His son hated him again, now more than ever. This time he didn't have Hinata to tell him what to do. If he could trade places with her he'd do it in a second.

" **Stop your whining kid. There was nothing you could have done."** Kurama's booming voice cut in.

Naruto shook his head. 'I cou-… I should have listened… He came to me, he WARNED me!' he mentally yelled. "I thought it was a dream…" he pleaded desperately, unintentionally whispering it aloud.

Kurama remained silent.

'I thought it was a…'

Within his mindscape, Kurama silently whimpered. Being connected with Naruto this deeply allowed him to feel his emotions. This was something he had never felt before with any of his hosts. The last time he felt such sadness was when his own father died. **"I am to blame as well… I should have killed that man many years ago… I should have felt his chakra… I should have known he wasn't dead."**

Naruto listened intently, the words 'should have' jumping out at him more times than he'd like. The words of regret. Words that wouldn't fix anything. 'Should have' is just an empty saying that more times than not doesn't need to be said. He should have done a lot of things in his past. A lot of things that would fix what's wrong now. Maybe if he was stronger back then, Jiraiya could have lived longer. Or maybe he should've brought Sasuke back the first time. No doubt with the two of them, protecting the village from the many battles he underwent would have been a lot easier. Or if he had made friends with Kurama in his younger years… So many should have's and what if's.

'It doesn't matter anymore.' He finally replied in a dry tone. 'None of it matters…'

Kurama's ears drooped down. This sadness was on a whole new level. Aside from his feelings being connected to Naruto's through their link, he felt his own pain for the loss of his containers mate. She never treated him like a monster, even when the two were younger and he would watch the other kids shunning Naruto for the empty words of their parents. This little shy girl always seemed to remain content with the fact that she was completely in love with the brat. No matter what she was told.

When she found out about him, she wasn't deterred in the slightest. You would think anyone would be a bit off put by the revelation of their crush containing a beast that destroyed the village just a few years ago, but she wasn't. Her image of him didn't shift or change in the slightest. There was some kind of merit to that at least.

She was different and he was glad Naruto had her. Now that she was gone, he himself was feeling his own sadness that he was sure Naruto could feel as well. All he wanted to do at this moment is rip Madara's head off. That man deserves death. He stopped his rage filled rant when he realized the water around him was trembling. That meant Naruto was crying again. It dawned on him he never really did comfort him in any way.

"… **I'm sorry about Hinata… She was a good woman…"**

Naruto wiped his eyes and leaned against the tree next to him. His body trembled in sadness and he found it hard to stand for a second. He dropped to a knee in the mud below. He began to hyperventilate. He grabbed his chest, trying to claw at his lungs. "AAARGH!" he yelled out into the night. "I'M SORRY! HINATA PLEASE!" As I he were begging her to return to life, he yelled his plea into the night air. "…Please… come back…"

Kurama was a bit ashamed of it, but a tear slipped down and melded into his fur. **"Naruto, she's gone."**

He shook his head in denial. "Nonon-.."

" **Hey! She's go-.."** He cut in.

"noNoNO!"

" **SHE IS GONE!... Ok!? She's gone! She's not coming back! She's dead..."** Naruto fell to his hands and knees, crying vehemently. His string of denials were gone. He couldn't stop his crying to say anything. **"Get up."** Kurama said harshly. Naruto remained in his spot as if he didn't hear him. " **Get the fuck up! You have TWO kids to protect now! If you don't kill him now, he will come for them next…"**

Naruto remained there for a few more seconds, trying to catch his breath. When he finally stopped his sniffling fit, he pushed up until he was sitting back on his heels, very reminiscent to his return from Zetsu's world. Using the tree, he stood to his feet and continued walking down the road.

He walked and he walked and walked until finally, he made it to the location he knew the man resided. Breaking the group of trees, sure enough on the far side, atop his own broken statue resided Madara, in the flesh. His black hair now containing hints of grey and his eyes shut as if he were asleep.

Naruto stepped onto the head of Hashirama, a spot he knew all too well. Twice in his life he's been in this position, this time against someone different. He looked down at the destruction left behind all those years ago. The broken hands making the peace sign they used to make at the academy. The cracks of the hands had plants and other shrubbery growing through it, truly displaying how long it's been since he's been here.

"Many years ago… I faced a man unlike any other… right here in this spot…" Naruto's still sullen look shifted up towards the man on the other side. "One of the only men to ever stand toe to toe with me in my prime… We changed this landscape once. Then you and the last of my kin changed it again…"

Naruto remained silent throughout, not trusting his voice enough to say anything to the man he took his wife just a few days ago.

"I should have died then… I should have accepted the fate thrusted upon me by my own actions."

There was that phrase again.

"Instead I allowed myself to be played for a fool." He said, gaining a bit more of Naruto's attention. "I lived my life believing I was chosen to change this cruel world for the better… Everything I did was for the future of our race." His coal black eyes opened at last and he stared down to the waterfall between them. "I thought my life meant something, but in the end I was nothing more than the pawn I had made everyone else out to be. Just a piece in someone else's plan."

Still he said nothing.

"When the war came to an end, I got to speak with the only man who could still look me in the eyes as a friend even after everything I did." He looked across at Hashirama's statue. "I laid there, dying from the lack of chakra… Hashirama's parting words ringing in my ears… I realized.. I was not meant to die like that…"

"How are you alive?" Naruto finally spoke, asking a question he needed an answer to. After all, they all apparently watched him die.

"My puppet masters parting gift... a third chance, not at life, but at death…"

Naruto didn't understand. Not completely.

"Zetsu brought me back to life the day before your final clash… He brought me back for the purpose of dying as I should…" Naruto still wasn't sure what it was he meant by that, luckily he clarified. "I was born and raised to be a warrior… I was bred for the sole purpose of fighting… Like my brother before me… my fate was to die in the heat of battle… Twice I have passed, neither the way I was meant to."

The realization again dawned on him. As it had seven years ago. "You want me to kill you…" Naruto said lowly. He shook his head. Again with this same old pony trick. Why is it always him? Why is everyone so fixated with dying by his hand? "Why me?"

Madara stared at him for a few seconds before his eyes dropped back down to the statue he was standing on. "…Because, you're just like him... Idiotic, yet strong. Loving but brutal… You're everything I'm not and I envy that. I should have died by Hashirama's hand all those years ago… Now… it has to be you…"

Naruto shook his head sadly. He dropped to his knees much to Madara's interest. Again, his body shook, signifying the rush of tears falling from his eyes. "You… You killed my wife…"

Madara understood his breakdown yet didn't seem to care. Well outwardly at least. He was mentally remarking how alike he and Hashirama are. 'He never could control his emotions…' He finally stood to his feet. "I am deeply sorry about your wife Uzumaki… It was not my intention to kill her, but she refused to come quietly… She was a very formidable opponent, able to adequately dance with me for a while."

Naruto's crying only intensified at his words.

"I have never respected a Hyuga until I met her… She spoke very highly of you when I told her my intentions." Madara took a step back feeling a much different presence.

Naruto almost instantly stopped trembling and he stood up with his head still down. When he raised his gaze, his eyes were blood red and the marks on his face were much more feral. **"Madara…"**

"Kyubi." He stated dryly. "I was surprised to learn that you were still with him… All of your kin are out roaming free."

Kurama's fierce gaze hardened and a low growl escaped his closed lips. He did not reply.

"So… he wasn't lying…" He said lowly. "You truly care for him… Heh, who knew a beast like you had a heart."

" **I could say the same."** He replied in a dry tone. **"For as much as you hated that Senju, you sure seem sentimental about him."**

Madara smiled and shut his eyes. "I guess you could… So, you cared for the girl as well." He didn't receive confirmation, but the growl was enough. "You've grown soft within that prison of yours. The way the world is changing, maybe that's not such a bad thing."

" **If you're so adamant about getting to death, why not just do it yourself? There's no one to bring you back anymore."**

A small smile creaked onto his face. "That would be easiest… but that's not what fate has written for me… I will die in battle… I'll do whatever I have to do to make it happen this time… He's got two kids, gives me two more chances if he refuses to fight me here."

Kurama shut his eyes and when they opened again, they were back to Naruto's sullen blues. Without a single word being said, he draw two kunai from his pouch. More accurately, the two kunai he received from Zetsu in that other world. He held onto them as relics of his struggles.

Seeing him arm himself, Madara activated his Sharingan.

Naruto's gaze was still down trodden, but he was determined to do this. He had to do this. With a heavy heart, he took a step forward, as did Madara. Then, they took another, and another until they both dropped down from their statues, both maintaining that eye contact in their descent. When they reached the surface of the water below, they rushed forward.

* * *

Stirring awake, Himawari stared up at her dark ceiling wondering how she got to her bed. The last thing she remembered was sitting on the couch with her aunt Hanabi. She sat up and looked around her dark room. In her arms a little stuffed pink bunny bought for her just a few days ago. She rubbed her eyes and yawned. The raindrops lightly tapping on her window were a bit daunting but she stood up regardless.

Her feet carried her out of her room and down the hall. Coming up to a pair of double doors, she pushed the right side open and poked her head in. To her confusion, the room was empty. The right side of the bed was messed up, but there was no one there. Her dad wasn't there. She shut the door slowly and tiptoed back down the hall coming to the door next to hers.

Pushing the door open, the blankets on the bed were piled up. She stepped in and walked up next to it. Placing a hand on the bundle, she noticed how empty it felt. Pushing down, her hand met the surface of the bed through the blankets and she realized he wasn't here either. A flash of lightning illuminated the Kagemasa poster over Boruto's bed, making her jump. She scampered out the room as fast as she could and shut the door behind her.

Standing in the hallway, tears began sliding down her face when she realized she was alone. Her dad and her brother were gone. The flashing lightning was starting to scare her and she slid down the wall, whimpering into the neck of her stuffed bunny. If her mother was here, she'd know what to do. She pulled her necklace away from her chest and stared at the purple piece.

Underneath the sound of the rain, she almost felt like she could hear her. She could hear her name being whispered lightly. Over time it became a little louder and it was accompanied by light footsteps. She lifted her head up realizing it sounded way too clear to not be real. The footsteps were coming up the stairs, but she couldn't be sure who it was. Her fear escalated at the thought of the unknown and she ran through the door of her bed room, verbally crying for her father to come save her from whatever it was. "Daddy! Arrgh!"

She threw herself into her bed and quickly scrambled to get the blankets over her before the footsteps that were coming reached her location. They were caught beneath her leg and she couldn't pull it up. To make matters worse, the footsteps were essentially running now.

"No! Daddy!" she pleaded desperately, now feeling the inevitability of the situation. Her room door was opened and almost immediately relief washed over her seeing her Aunt Hanabi running in with a concerned look. She cried loudly and held her hands out.

"Himawari! What's wrong?" She asked urgently, receiving no reply over the long strung out wail of terror. "It's ok. Hey, it's ok. I'm here." She whispered as she picked her up and held onto her. "What's wrong?"

Finally, she understood something the little girl said. "I want my dad!" Hanabi nodded and walked her out of the room and down the hall. She opened the door to Naruto's room to see him gone. Thinking maybe he went to Boruto's room, she went there next and noticed he was gone as well. Looking around urgently, she ran back to Himawari's room and got her dressed quickly with a jacket and a pair of boots.

* * *

Hearing knocking on the front door, Sakura poked her head up. Sasuke was already rolling out of bed. She peaked out her window to see how late it was. She got up as well and found her robe. Sasuke walked to the front door and unlocked it. Swinging it open, Hanabi and Himawari stood on the porch looking anxious.

* * *

Flipping violently through the air, Naruto's back hit the side of the cliff painfully. He jumped up avoiding the ball of flames heading his way. Before he could recover, Madara was in his face again. A fist slammed into his nose, snapping his head back, weakening the punch he threw. Before he recovered, the front of his shirt was grabbed and he was spun around and released, sending him shooting towards the ground.

He hit the hard surface of the bank next to the water and grunted in pain. It didn't hurt too bad, but there was definitely some pain there. Even more when the falling Madara landed on his stomach. He jumped off and backed away, allowing Naruto to get to his feet.

"Fight Uzumaki. I know of what Zetsu threatened you with and I can promise the same." He threatened calmly. "You fight me now, or I will destroy everything you care for."

Naruto rushed forward and threw a punch. Madara side stepped it and hit him in the bottom of his jaw with his palm. He then followed up by blocking the blonde's counter left hook, elbowing him in the throat. Naruto coughed violently and grabbed his throat. Madara took that opening to grab a good chunk of his hair. He yanked his head down, slamming his face into his knee before kicking him back.

Naruto flipped and tumbled until he landed on his stomach. He pushed himself up to his hands and knees, regretfully so as a kick met his chin. He was flipped back again and laid there for a second. Now he was starting to feel these hits.

" **Get up and fight Naruto."** Kurama growled out. **"Remember what you're protecting."**

With a sigh at his words, Naruto again pushed himself up. Getting to his feet, Madara was already rushing him. He threw his arms up to block the first kick and grabbed his ankle. Swinging him around, he threw him away and quickly created four clones that rushed after him.

Madara recovered and rushed back. He dispelled two of the clones before he was kicked towards the water by another. Using chakra to stay on the surface, he jumped before the other could come crashing down on him with a Rasengan. While in the air, the original Naruto hurled a rasenshuriken towards him that he avoided. The attack continued on until it met the neck of the statue of Madara, exploding on impact.

Using the famed fireball jutsu, he dispelled the remaining two clones and rushed the original he took a step that way too. Before he could go any further, a hand popped out of the ground ensnaring his ankle. Before he could decide what to do next, the original Madara was on him and ready to attack. He ducked back, dodging the flying kick headed for him.

" **Give me control boy! Before he kills us!"** Kurama demanded. His body began to leak orange chakra, Naruto's back met the ground and the other hand of Madara's clone beneath ground came up and grabbed him. He shut his eyes to comply with Kurama, but pain quickly seared through him when five fingers were plunged into his abdomen.

"ARRGH!" The hands beneath ground released him and he rolled over, clutching at his stomach. There was no need to even test it, he could feel the loss of connection with Kurama.

As if he was in his mind as well, Madara spoke. "I have no intention of fighting Kyubi. Just you… That seal won't last forever, but I don't think I'll need it to. This will end fairly quickly either way it goes."

Naruto coughed violently and spit out the saliva that had built up in his mouth. He rolled over and got to his knees again, remembering the words of Kurama. He had to remember who he was fighting for. He stood back up on wobbly legs with an irritated scowl on his face.

"I watched your battles within that little couple's tournament a few weeks ago… You were quite exceptional…" He watched him stagger forward, trying to adjust to the loss of his biju's chakra. "It seems heartbreak can also diminish one's ability. You are but a shadow of what you were then. Maybe I should kill your best friend next?"

Naruto growled lowly and rushed forward with seemingly much more gusto than before. When he cleared the distance however and threw the first punch, his arm slipped past Madara's head and fell into the crook of his neck. Madara then began to push his face away while maintaining his grip on him.

"Or maybe those brats of yours. They don't seem to like you much anyways." Naruto roared in anger and slipped his hold. He threw three quick jabs that Madara avoided fairly easily. He lost his footing however and ate the kick that sent him flying until he smacked into the side of the cliff.

Recovering quickly, he landed and dodged the ball of blue chakra aimed at his chest. He quickly took advantage of the cover and jumped back, small bullets of fire his way, seeming to land. As the smoke cleared, he was nowhere in sight. His Sharingan picked up a glimmer of something above him and he watched the foot fly towards his face. He was able to move his head at least, taking the heel to his shoulder which still sent him flying towards the ground.

As he landed, he went through two hand signs before thrusting his hands into the ground. Two earthen spikes came flying out at high speed towards the defenseless blonde. Naruto swiveled out the way of the first one but was caught in the thigh with the other.

Suppressing his scream, he landed painfully and dropped to his knee. "Rgh!" he grunted, pulling the spike out. Standing up, he was too late to notice the same trick was used on him yet again. His ankle was grabbed and Madara came flying in. Acting quickly, he yanked his captured leg up, pulling the clone from the ground. He delivered a short yet very sharp jab to the top of its skull dispersing it. Then, he caught the leg of the flying Madara and threw him to the ground in front of him.

With the earthen spike still in his hand, he drove it down with a war cry. He felt it go through skin and bone and immediately felt sick to his stomach. He killed an actual person this time. With his eyes shut in remorse for his fallen enemy, he sunk to his knee over the body.

Then, he heard a soft cough and gargle. Much more feminine than he was expecting. Opening his eyes, it was Hinata laying beneath him. Still dressed in that white gown and the spike within her chest. "h-…"

"n-.. aruto… Wh-… why did you?" she choked out painfully.

His hands began to shake violently as he gently released the spike. Realizing what he did, he yanked it out, and heard her grunt in pain. "No-nono… No, I'm- I'm sorry. Hina-.. I'm sorry. Hey, Hey!" he yelled at her slapping her face.

"You.. you killed me…" she said, her voice and the light in her eyes slowly fading out.

Naruto shook his head vigorously. "Nonono.."

"You killed me… Why would you kill me?" she pleaded, sounding much livelier. "I thought you…"

"I do!" he yelled before she even finished. "I do, Hinata. No, please."

More blood was coming out of her mouth now. "You should have listened… you should have listened when he warned you… Why didn't you listen!?"

"No! Please! God, no!" he pleaded grabbing onto her bloodied face. "ARRGH!" he shut his eyes and yelled into the raining sky. Even through the rain, somehow the moon shined down on them, lighting the scene. Opening his eyes again, he was staring at nothing but his own hands. There was no Hinata, not even Madara. He was staring at his hands and the ground beneath them.

"Years ago…" Madara's voice rang out, drawing his attention to the man that was right in front of him. "I believed there would never be any man stronger than Hashirama Senju… then, in the war, I met you and thought differently. You were so much like him that it was scary. Just as loud brash and idiotic… just as determined… just as foolish… but you're not like him… You're not even close. For that reason, I will kill you… and I will tear this world apart until I find someone who is capable of stopping me… It's clearly not you…"

Naruto's tear filled gaze landed on Madara and he lunged forward, throwing a hasty punch that was easily dodged. Madara slipped behind him and put him in a choke hold with one of his hands on the back of his head, ready to snap his neck.

"You're no ninja, and you're definitely no Hokage." He whispered lowly to him, ready to end his life. Before he did however, he picked up on the sound of footsteps charging towards him. The steps were too light to be much of a threat in any way to him. He turned his head slightly and saw a little blonde boy charging towards him, tears streaming down his face in rage.

"Let him GO!" the little boy yelled halfway there. Madara chuckled and tightened his hold on Naruto who was now struggling much harder.

"Boruto! N-Ah!"

Madara chuckled and continued watching the sloppy charge. It wasn't hard to tell the kid was untrained. When he reached him, Madara kicked him back lightly, enough to make him tumble across the wet stone.

Naruto struggled harder and harder, making Madara focus more on him. Eventually he got so distracted with him, he didn't notice the boy had gotten back up and was already by them. Boruto hit the old man in his side as hard as he could.

The hit itself didn't hurt much, but by reflex, one of Madara's elbows tucked down to protect himself, giving Naruto enough space to slip his hold and kick him away. Naruto grabbed Boruto and jumped further back, wanting there to be as much space as possible.

"Hn… You're as dumb as your father boy." Madara replied getting back to his feet.

Naruto grabbed Boruto's head and pushed him closer behind him. "Madara. Let me take him home. I'll come back and fight you for real." Naruto suggested.

Madara smiled slyly and stared down at the boy who tried his best to hide behind his father. "No… No, I think this is a perfect situation. Now, you'll have a truly urgent reason to fight. If I kill your son now, I can almost guarantee the battle I want."

"Please." Naruto begged. "Please, I-… I'll fight, jus-… just leave him out of it… He's just a kid."

He shook his head. "I watched my brother die at my side, so I know what you'll feel on some level."

Boruto hid his face, feeling truly terrified at the man's words. He was literally threatening to kill him. This was a real Jonin level battle he was watching, or maybe even higher. Now, he's in the middle of it. He felt as though he had seen that man somewhere and he's heard that name before as well, but where? He was completely out of range when he was talking before they started, so he wasn't even sure of the motive of this psycho.

He couldn't even explain his reasoning for wanting to save his dad back there. He followed him out of the village to give him hell for trying to leave. Then, he saw him break down a few minutes outside of the village while he hid behind a tree. He was calling for his mom and he was so sad… so hurt… Then, as if at the drop of a hat, he just started walking again. His curiosity was peaked so he just followed. He watched their battle in amazement up until his dad was about to be killed. What compelled him to do what he did next was a complete mystery to even himself.

"Boruto… stay behind me…" Naruto said lowly so that he could hear him. Needing no further instructions he hid most of his body behind him, peaking out at the enemy in fear. Creating his signature hand sign, the area was filled with Naruto clones, all armed with a Rasengan in each hand.


	13. Chapter 13

**Implausible Tales chapter 13**

 _Laying with his back to the black surface, breathing heavily, Naruto stared up to the much darker sky than he was used to. Everything seemed to be moving so slow right now. Everything was ringing and he was very dizzy. Around him were defeated creatures he had managed to defeat in the heat of his battle with Zetsu. He was so very, very tired._

 _Years… years of a constant cycle of battling. After all this time, he knew today was the day. This very day would be the end of their struggle. This is where it ends. Zetsu made that very clear here. Either he was dying today, or Naruto was._

" _ **-et up... Nar-.. et up!"**_ _Naruto blinked a few times and shook his head out._ _ **"Get up!"**_ _he peeked his head around to see Zetsu struggling to his feet. He rolled over and got on all fours before pushing himself up, painfully._

 _He staggered, trying to stay upright. Looking across the way, Zetsu was preparing something very big. In his hands was growing a black ball. It began to grow and grow until Naruto could physically feel how much condensed chakra it was even without his sage mode._

" _ **He's preparing a final attack… This is it kid… either he dies or we do…"**_ _Kurama said calmly._

 _Naruto's head rolled around in exhaustion. 'There's… there's got to be another way…' he basically pleaded._

" _ **Naruto! He will kill us!"**_ _Kurama demanded. The boy was trying to remain true to his morals, but this was no time for that. It was literally a life or death situation._ _ **"He is not even human you idiot!"**_

 _Naruto just continued to shake his head regretfully. "I ca-… I can't…"_

 _Kurama went silent for a few seconds._ _ **"… let me do it…"**_ _he said suddenly._ _ **"Let me do it… It'll take the last of my chakra, but I can still do it… Switch me quickly boy!"**_ _he demanded which Naruto was too tired to argue with. He shut his eyes and relinquished control. His skin began ripping off, taking the form of the red humanoid creature Naruto was no longer used to. 'You're gonna wreck my body.'_ _ **"Better than being dead."**_

 _He crouched down on all fours and opened his mouth. A similar ball of chakra began gathering in front of his mouth. "I won't have enough time to build up a big enough blast, His attack is so big it'll hit us regardless…"_

' _I thought you said you could do it!?' Naruto demanded comically, now fearing for his life._

" _ **If you weren't such an idiot, we wouldn't even BE in this situation!" Kurama snapped back. "If I can hold it through the blast, the flash should be enough to blind him. That's pure chakra so when it explodes, his Byakugan will become his handicap. I just have to hit him."**_ _Naruto said nothing. Within his mind, he was sitting back in the water, waiting to see what happens._ _ **"I'll do what I can… but if we don't make it… I'm glad I met you kid…"**_

 _He smiled and laid back in the murky water. Shutting his eyes, memories of him and Kurama at odds passed through his mind, illuminating the darkness above him. "You too Kurama…"_

 _Zetsu finally finished the buildup of the massive ball of chakra above his head. "Some hero you turned out to be Naruto Uzumaki." With a downward jerk of both of his arms, the ball of chakra came speeding towards them and Zetsu dropped to his knees. Kurama, still buildup his attack ran towards the flying meteor of dark chakra that was ready to blow. Zetsu watched him the whole time._

 _Just before the ball of chakra hit him, he slid down allowing it to pass right over him. Zetsu wasn't alarmed in the slightest. He would never be able to escape that blast radius. Not even with Kyubi's chakra. It was only a matter of seconds._

 _When the ball of chakra finally touched down, there was silence and a pulse of chakra through the ground, shaking it briefly. The explosion that followed was absolutely catastrophic. In a very bright flash of white, Kurama lunged forward towards the still kneeling Zetsu who didn't seem as though he wanted to live anyways. He covered his eyes, giving Kurama the chance he was waiting for. He spit his tailed beast ball out and it soared like a bullet until it hit directly in front of the blinded man, blowing him away and into the other explosion._

 _The violent backlash of Zetsu's blast finally caught up to the red shrouded Naruto and he was thrown harder and faster than ever for well over a few hundred yards until his body smacked into the side of his own cliff, followed quickly by huge chunks of rocks and dead animal carcasses that pounded against his body until he could no longer be seen within the mess._

* * *

Kicking his way out of the group of clones, Madara swiveled and swerved out of the way of each attack, his sharingan truly displaying his prowess on the battle field. Naruto was just waiting for one of his attacks to land. That's all he needed to make his escape with Boruto. He just had to get him out of here. Madara jumped into the air going through hand signs rapidly until he puffed his chest out. A jutsu Naruto remembered very well sprang to life once again. The entire area was flooded with a raging fire, killing every clone he had down besides the ones close enough to sink into the water.

He jumped up to Hashirama's statue with Boruto to avoid the hit and just sat back and watched as Madara landed on the broken head of his own.

"We can do this all day Uzumaki. I will not let you leave this place until you have given me the fight I deserve. If I have to kill your son to make you do so, then so be it." His eyes shot open and before Naruto realized what was happening.

"Dad!?" Boruto shouted out in worry looking behind them. Naruto turned to see what it was he was looking at and didn't have to look far at all to see the horrifying images of multiple Susano surrounding the forest leading back to Konoha.

"Clones are easy Naruto… Now, you will fight me as I have demanded and I will leave your son be." He demanded. Naruto stared down at the stone beneath his feet before relenting. He grabbed Boruto's arm from around his neck and swung him around until he was holding him in his arms.

"Boruto… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry." He hugged him tightly before setting him down on the back of the statue. Boruto's attention was completely captured by the giant humanoid creatures surrounding the forest all seemingly looking their way. It was horrifying and it also made him realize exactly who this was. He was one of the main enemies in the last war. So, how was he alive? And if it took the entire ninja world to take him down last time, then how was his dad gonna do it by himself?

Naruto stepped up to the head of the statue and stared across with a fire in his eyes Madara had not seen until this point. "Ah… the war hero himself has finally arrived." He mocked. "Well, let's see how far Zetsu's little world has brought you."

Naruto and Madara both lunged from their positions intent on a head on collision. Both flying towards each other, Naruto cocked his fist back as did Madara. Just a bit out of range, Madara's body was surrounded by the ribcage of his Susano and his cocked back fist elongated with that blue chakra. They both thrusted forward, fist to fist of chakra and to Madara's surprise and delight his arm was thrown back, unable to protect him from the follow up hit to the front of his rib cage which cracked so much it nearly shattered.

He was flung back into the broken piece of his statue and he landed, readying himself for the next attack. Naruto landed in front of him and blocked the right swing headed for his face. He blocked the follow up left as well and pushed him away with his shoulder. With the space, he got a bit of a running start and jumped up, going for a knee.

Madara swiveled out the way of the attack and caught him in his side before he landed. Naruto was flung aside but quickly righted himself. He turned around and was met with Madara's boot that threw him off the side of the statue.

He hit the water and quickly flipped up to the surface. He cut his chakra and sunk down however when he caught sight of the ball of chakra coming his way. When it dissipated, Madara was already in a nosedive right behind it. He quickly regret the decision when he saw multiple clones shoot out of the surface, ready to attack.

From his position up on the cliff, Boruto stared down in astonishment. The battle was far more interesting this time around. Earlier, he was just watching his dad get his ass kicked for a few minutes. Now, it looked like he's really fighting back, and he's actually winning! Briefly he wondered why he would even be fighting this hard. He had assumed he hated him after his outburst a few days ago. He hit him in the face and wished him dead, so why was he so adamant in this battle, as if he still cares?

Contrary to all he's said, he and his mom weren't always on the best of terms. They had a falling out a few years ago when he decided to stop believing in the stories she was telling him about his dad. He told her to stop lying to him and, echoing the words of the villagers, called her crazy for having faith he would return. She slapped him in the face, ending that rage filled rant where it stood.

That entire day, he sat in his room thinking exactly what he was thinking earlier. He believed whole heartedly that she hated him now for calling her crazy. That's what he thought until later on, she brought him something to eat. When he questioned her about it, she told him that no matter what, she would always love him. Even when they don't agree or when she seems mad at him. She said she would always love him because that's just what mothers do.

If that were true, then could this be the same case? His dad is down there fighting for his life even after all he said. When he had time to calm down and after a few speeches and stories from his grandpa, he realized it wasn't his fault. His dad was just a target and his mother was bait. Such is the life of a ninja. But, that didn't mean he couldn't be angry. That didn't mean he couldn't cry about it and miss his mother for the rest of his life.

On the same note, he couldn't just hate his father for something out of his control. It would be the same as hating him for being gone all those years even knowing he was kidnapped. In truth, up until a few hours ago he did still hate him. He hated everything about him and was ready to tell him off for leaving, but seeing him break down multiple times showed that he really cared for his mother. His dad loved her just like he did.

The issue was his previous perception of him that was changed a few minutes before his mom died. He trusted their lives in his hands in that one conversation, believing him to be the strongest person to ever live, just like the people say. He convinced himself that his dad was unbeatable, almost god-like when in truth, he's just like everyone else. Sure, he's strong, but he's still human. That's what he'll always be so for anyone to make him seem like more is just selfish. Boruto realized he was guilty of just that.

Now, watching this fight, his heart raced realizing there was a chance he could lose someone else he loves. The way Madara had him pinned against the wall by his throat wasn't doing much to calm his worry. Feeling desperate seeing the spike slowly jut out of the ground, he leaned forward and took a deep breath. "DAAAAD!"

Naruto's eyes looked up to the cliff seeing Boruto watching. His eyes slowly shifted back to Madara and he grabbed his arm. He squeezed and squeezed and squeezed until the grip became too great to take. Madara ripped the spike from the ground and plunged it forward. Before it lodged into Naruto's eye, a yellow hand of chakra grabbed hold of it. Madara jumped back, avoiding the other that swiped at him.

Landing gracefully on the other side of the water, he watched as Naruto's body was engulfed in the yellow flames, signifying the return of the Kyubi's chakra. He nodded slightly before blue chakra began materializing around him. Boruto noticed it began to look a lot like the creatures behind him, but this one was growing bigger. Finally, it got so big it grew legs as well. He stared up at the towering monster wondering how in the world his dad was gonna fight that. It wasn't a matter of if, it was a matter of how.

Naruto leaped back up to the cliff and stood by Boruto. "Stay close to me Bolt." He demanded, still looking across the way at Madara. Boruto wordlessly stood to his feet and inched closer to his side. Then, before his eyes and to his shock, the yellow flames on his body began to spread around them. He was scared at first, expecting it to be hot, but instead it was a very gentle feeling. He was so focused on the way it surrounded his body, he didn't even realize they were no longer on the ground until he saw the giant yellow clawed hand smash down onto the edge of the cliff. His eyes widened when he realized, this was the Kyubi form his dad was telling him about.

He couldn't explain the sensation of this situation, but it was something he's never felt before. For a slight moment, his world stopped and he looked up to see the side of his father's face. That cloak made of chakra billowed in the wind and for a moment, he looked just like Boruto had imagined. Well, that wasn't completely true, but this unbelievably heroic stance in the face of an impossible enemy. The lack of fear in his eyes and his unwavering will! The hell with Kagemasa, this was a real superninja! What's more, this was his dad!

Before he kicked those flustered thoughts, they began charging towards the blue monster man who was running for them as well, shaking the ground with every step. Kurama ducked the swing of the Susano's blade and came through with a punch to its rib cage. Madara's construct withstood the hit seemingly effortlessly, but Naruto noticed something. "Keep him on the defensive Kurama!" He called out as he stuck his hands out, creating the feared tailed beast bomb while Kurama swung away.

"Boruto, come over here." Naruto said surprising him. He was confused but he did as he was told. Using one hand to maintain the tailed beast bomb, he pulled him closer, and positioned him in front off himself. "Kurama! Close encounter!" He called out receiving a roar of confirmation. Kurama used his claw and pushed the face of Madara's Susano back, enough to blind him. With Madara unable to recover, Naruto shot off the tailed beast bomb and immediately wrapped Boruto up tightly, covering his eyes with his own hand. The form of Kurama seemed to shrink into a tight ball that surrounded the two blondes and lit up brighter than ever.

Within the darkness of his father's hand, Boruto listened for what was going to happen. His stomach dropped as if they were falling, then with a giant explosion that popped his ears, that feeling left and they were thrown back roughly.

* * *

 _Pushing the rubble off his form with his left arm, Naruto roared in pain. Using that one arm, he dragged himself out of the huge chunks of rocks until he finally landed flat on his face. He picked his head up to look around the completely changed landscape. That explosion rocked this entire fictitious world completely._

 _He flipped over to assess the damage to his body. "Argh!" Looking down at his legs, his left was completely crushed and it hurt to even turn it. His right arm, which was a transplant anyways, was now hanging limply on the ground. His head was still ringing from the explosion and his vision was a little blurry._

" _Ugh… Kura… Argh!" he struggled. "Kuram.. you there?" He received no reply. Great. Looking around the barren field, his eyes landed on the impact of Kurama's attack. Finally making it to his feet after a good few moments of trying and failing, he began limping that way, hoping to see the dead body of Zetsu somewhere nearby._

 _In his slow and steady stride towards the crater, he stopped, hearing the scuffling of feet that weren't his own. Turning to his right, he saw the very disfigured body of whoever it was Zetsu used for his possession, trudging towards him. Missing chunks from his midsection and pieces of his head. Naruto breathed a sigh of exhaustion and rolled his head back. With a final steadying breath, he leaned his body forward slightly to rush him. Before he made it, Zetsu fell at his feet._

 _He took a step back, uncertain if it were a ploy or not. When he was certain it wasn't, he fell to his knees, trying to take some weight off of that broken leg of his. Neither of them spoke for what felt like hours. They both laid there pain-riddled and exhausted. Finally, after quite some time, Zetsu said his piece._

"… _Four years… I scooped up this power… It took me four long years…" he paused and stared up into the sky he created. "I molded the shinobi in my own image many years ago… I created the shinobi for the purpose of bringing my mother back… They stole her power and used it as selfishly as they could… War... death… and utter destruction…"_

 _Naruto's eyes remained locked on the three sunned sky, clouds of grey blocking their rays. He didn't say anything. He was too tired and too hurt to even bother._

" _Humanity is selfish… Humanity will always be selfish… that peace you think you've created will never last… before you know it, your own children will be fighting the next war against a new opponent for a new cause… its all a disturbed cycle of demented human beings trying to assert dominance… When in truth, they have no idea what it means… Not like we do."_

 _Naruto let his head fall to the see to look at the side of Zetsu's face._

" _You and I… Hashirama and Madara… that Uchiha friend of yours… there will never be a breed of warriors stronger than us… and when I say us… I mean you… You're godlike in Nature and humble in the face of praise… that's why I chose you for such a task as this over your counterpart… That's why he'll choose you…"_

 _Naruto couldn't understand half of what he was saying, but it strangely enough sounded like he was complimenting him for some reason… Laughable…_

" _A man who believes he is all powerful more often than not ends up a villain in history… Men like that have so many weaknesses its almost criminal for them to believe in their own merit… Intelligence and power are nothing when they are given to the foolish… That's what Madara never could understand… that's what he's been trying to understand for generations… Even with the example of Hashirama he was blind… That's the life of a shinobi… the shinobi I created… deception in all aspects, even self-awareness…"_

 _Naruto was hardly listening now. He was getting dizzy at this point._

" _But you Naruto… You're not like the rest of them… the rest of us…" he said, saying that last piece softer. "Your nobility sets you apart from all of the great warriors of the past… As an enemy, it is an honor to be ended by your hand… Regardless… you took the world my mother and I created and you made it your own. You shaped it into something it was never meant to be. That's why it will fall. Maybe not now… maybe not even in your child's lifetime… but like a house built of wood… it will rot and crumble by the hands of humanity. For it was never meant to be a house… You've won your freedom and this temporary safety…"_

 _Naruto shook his head tiredly. "No… not temporary… you won't be coming back…" he said which Zetsu chuckled at._

" _You think that matters? There will always be selfishness in the world, there will always be pain… therefore there will always be another me." He warned ominously. "As long as love and joy exit, so will pain and hatred… a whisper from the past. Hehe…" he chuckled._

 _Naruto knew immediately he was speaking of Nagato's wording for the cycle of hatred. Before he could argue his case on the matter, he looked over to see the black formation on this unknown bodies face beginning to solidify, as if turning to stone._

" _As I said… you've won your freedom… But as you know… freedom is not always free… There is one last portal open within this world… My mother's eye is now gone." He said just as the eye piece turned to stone. "That portal will remain open for no longer than an hour… and it's a very steep journey hehehe…" his chuckles ended with the complete solidification of all that made Zetsu… Before his very eyes, the body he had been using began to rot away._

 _He turned his head to stair at that mountain that was split at the top. He knew that's where the portal was. Turning his head straight once more, he looked up into the sky. This was a different world. After years of war… it felt like a completely different place… A world without pain. A world without suffering or sorrow. A world with just him and the sky. This was truly a beautiful world, and he could stay here forever… 'aad.. ad.. et u..'_

* * *

"Dad get UP! He's coming back!" Naruto opened his eyes to see Boruto beating on his chest. Shaking that dizziness from the impact away, he stood to his feet. Reforming Kurama, they toward above the broken form of Madara's Susano. Hearing the sounds of a distant battle, he turned his head and saw Sasuke's Susano handling the five clones. Boruto saw it too and let out an amaze, 'whoa' at the incredible spectacle.

Naruto turned back and stared at the original. The entire left half of the ribs was blown off of his construct of chakra and he seemed as though he were in pain of some sort. With a silent grunt of pain, he grabbed his eyes and his defense crumbled down. He landed in a crouch that quickly sunk lower into a kneeling position. Seeing this, Naruto slowly retracted Kurama. He grabbed Boruto and put him on his back before cutting the rest of his chakra.

They landed on the opposite bank of the further destroyed area and Naruto set him down. He reactivated his chakra mode just in case and began walking over. Boruto was amazed by the sight, for some reason seeing the scene as being an amazing poster. He watched the patterns on the back of his dads chakra made cloak in wonder. One of the spheres from earlier popped up and to Boruto's surprise, formed a spear.

Wait… that wasn't right.

In all the stories he's heard, that was the one thing they all had in common. He doesn't kill. Was he really going to… His heart was beating faster and faster right now. He knew he was angry, hell he was furious himself… but was he really going to kill this man? He never thought he'd care so much about the death of an enemy, but being once again in the heat of the moment, he found it inhumane.

The night after his mother's murder, that's all he could think about. What kind of monster could just take his mother's life and leave like that? What kind of monster could take any life and be fine with it? It was a hypocritical way of thinking of course. He knew his grandpa has killed people before… his mom probably killed people before… and Kakashi has killed before and from what he was told, his uncle Sasuke has killed a lot of people… but…

His dad doesn't kill… He's only known him for a few months, but from everything he's been told, his dad is the one from those stories and he doesn't kill!

Making it to the downed form of Madara, Naruto stared him down. Madara's coal black eyes stared back up to him emotionlessly. "And so the story ends…" he mocked with a small chuckle. "The will of fire burns its enemies to ash as it has for so many years… Let my death be remembered Uzumaki… if not in history, let it be remembered by you… Vengeance is a sweet thing once it has been achieved. They say it's not, but when there's no one left on one side to continue the cycle… it truly is."

Naruto gripped that rod of his so tightly he almost felt like he was going to snap it in half. All that was going through his mind was that image of his dying wife begging him to save her. He was trying to convince himself that this was a righteous action. "t-… tell me you would have done it…" he said lowly, just loud enough for Madara to hear. He didn't say anything, mainly because he didn't understand what was being asked. "Tell me you would have killed my son if I didn't give you the fight you wanted…" he spat out through gritted teeth.

Madara realized what was happening. He could see the war playing out within his mind. Of course he would have done it. He would've lain waste to the entire goddamned world for the end he sought… but, he wanted to test him. He shook his head. "I couldn't have… he reminds me of my younger brother… Innocence like that is to be preserved at all costs."

Naruto looked absolutely furious. His breathing sped up erratically and with a war cry, he smacked him across the face, causing him to fall on his back. Madara took the hit and chuckled arrogantly. He spit the blood out and smiled, staring up at the flame engulfed blonde standing over him with the spear to his throat.

"It truly baffles me how someone like you was able to survive in this world… Surrounded by death, unsure if this day could be your last, and you refuse to kill…" Naruto shut his eyes and shook his head furiously. "You can't even kill a man that's already dead… This makes that dream of yours to become Hokage a lot less believable…"

Naruto grit his teeth and adjusted his grip on the created spear as if he were ready to drive it down. Even so, he held it just above his throat. Shakily trying to force it down against his own steel built will.

"I killed your wife…" He let that statement hang there. He expected to be impaled immediately after saying that. "I murdered your wife… just to get to you…"

Naruto's visage contorted in pain, but still he held his ground.

Madara was now getting a bit agitated. "I would have made him suffer…" He said suddenly, making Naruto's eyes shoot open in shock and anger when he realized what he was talking about. "I would have made him suffer and relive it a thousand times over… and I would have made you watch. Hell, with today's technology, I would have let everyone see it. Let everyone see how much of a coward you truly are."

Again, he gained that deathly look in his eyes.

"They glorify you like some kind of hero! But, you won't even do what needs to be done for THEIR SAKE!" he yelled in complete anger. "What kind of hero are you!?"

"ARRGH!" He drove the spear down, barely hearing the prepubescent scream beneath his own roar. Opening his eyes, he gave the still motionless Madara a deathly stare, the spear in the ground right next to his head. "I'm not here to be your hero…" he whispered harshly. "I'm here to be his." He said, gesturing back to his son. Madara continued staring at him. "A man like you deserves the lonely death you receive."

Madara chuckled at his stupidity and rolled his eyes. "Heartwarming. We'll meet again boy. We'll meet as many times as it takes." He said as Naruto walked away.

"Not likely." Said a new voice. Madara watched as Sasuke walked into his line of sight.

He looked him over and chuckled dryly. "You do look just like him…" he said lowly. "Fitting enough to be killed by my own kin…" he said as he shut his eyes. Sasuke drew his sword and stared down at the man. "Maybe you can take the clan in a new direction… a better one…" he said.

Sasuke remained silent for a few seconds. "Hn… I plan to."

Madara smiled. "…Hn… so be it… Let these be my final words… We are not a clan of hatred… we're a clan of love… Take my life please… Sasuke Uchiha."

Naruto walked across the water at the shocked face of his son. He cut his chakra cloak off and when he made it to him. He squat down in front of him. Boruto watched him the whole way, unsure of what to say. There were once again no words he could think of for this situation. This wasn't explaining one of his legendary pranks or talking with his friends, this was something he didn't know how to do. This was talking with your dad.

Naruto watched him go through a sea of emotions, clearly unsure of how to feel in this moment. He gave him a small weary grin that seemed to kick a rock in that fragile damn he had behind his eyelids. Tears came in howls of sorrow and regret and he lunged forward. Naruto caught him and wrapped his arms around him. He held him as tightly and as gently as he did when he awoke in that hospital bed ten years ago. He held him for what felt like forever. With the first beat of rain, Naruto looked up and decided he had to get his son home. He picked him up and put him on his back.

Boruto tucked his head into his shoulder, sniffling away as he had done so much lately. He shut his eyes to protect him from the rain as his dad climbed up the side of the cliff. When they finally made it, his eyes locked onto something behind the statue. "Dad?" he said with a sniffle. Naruto turned to him slightly. "I'm cold." Naruto's eyes locked onto what he saw as well and he smiled. They walked over to Hashirama's statue and grabbed the black and red jacket he bought for him. When he slipped it on, the two went home, leaving Sasuke to his business with his ancestor.

* * *

Pulling his cape down tightly over his mouth and nose, Naruto struggled through the multiple feet of snow painfully. Leaving a trail of blood behind with every step he took. Limping as much as he could on his way up this steep and impossible mountain, he could've sworn he saw Hinata in the distance. The wind mysteriously picked up, leaving him in this blizzard, but he was almost certain he saw her cradling a child. Or maybe she was teaching him how to walk? Or… trying to get him to talk? He wasn't sure, but he was determined to find out. He couldn't see the top anymore and he had no idea how long he's been walking.

It's been quite a while. A part of him was afraid there would be no portal when he made it to the top. Maybe he had passed out and he was dreaming about this. No, no he was definitely struggling up this mountain. That pain was too real for him to be dreaming this. Way too real.

Taking another step, the snow beneath his foot shifted and crumbled, bringing him to his knees. He was so cold. So very, very cold. He picked his head up and looked towards the top, as high as he could see. There was nothing but white snow blocking his view. That's when he saw it.

It began as a blub of black seeming to float and sway with the push and pull of the wind. As it drew closer, it was joined by another color he couldn't truly distinguish. Not completely white, but pale nonetheless. Then, the shape of his wife broke through the white covered distance. A soft smile on her face and a gentle sway to her walk. He smiled ever so slightly and shut his eyes, once again performing the test he's become accustomed to. When he opened them, she was still there. Smiling softly at him.

"Heh… Hehehe!" he began chuckling as he stood to his feet and continued trudging along. As fast as he could on one leg, he hobbled towards her. She didn't say anything. She remained in her spot, smiling at him. His eyes were locked onto her endearingly. Determination settled in and he used every ounce of it. The way he was moving, he almost felt as though he were running, or flying even. She was so close he could feel her.

With his eyes on her, he continued moving. Fear settled in when her image began disappearing within the snow that began kicking up much faster. It was only then did he realize he was never getting closer to her. Even after that distance he limped, she was as far away as she was when he was kneeling in the snow. "N-huh… No!" he called out, trying to go faster, ultimately failing and falling to his knees once more. When she was gone, he was left staring into the wall of blazing white yet again.

He sat there, waiting for her to reappear so that he had something to chase, but she never came. He clutched the cold sand in his hand cursing it for even existing. With a frustrated yell, he threw it forward into the unknown in front of him. He stopped when he heard it impact with something.

What was that? He piled up another ball of snow and threw it forward. Again, that sound. It sounded like… water? Or… mud? Way up here? It should be frozen by now.

Standing back up, he continued on. As he drew closer, he saw the two rocks that split at the top of the mountain. Getting even closer, he could see it. He could see that portal. As if for an accomplishment for his victory, the storm slowly died out, clearing the sky around him and the wall of white below him. He turned and could see the world he's called home for seven years. He couldn't believe it. He was going home.

With a small chuckle at that heart throbbing realization, he turned and began trudging faster towards the portal, not wanting it to close. He was going home. Stepping in, he didn't account for where exactly the other side led or if it were going to be on the ground or not. Of course, the bottom of the porta was a foot or two off the ground and he fell flat on his face into the fresh muddied floor below, covering him in the substance completely.

The weight of Zetsu's world no longer having an effect on him, the fall didn't hurt much. Sadly, his injuries were still severe. Maybe not as severe, but definitely painful. Laying in that mud, he chuckled again. He was home. This was home.

* * *

Standing in his room, Boruto rubbed his eyes. He just awoke from a long nap, the previous night's escapade still weighed heavily on him. Rolling his neck out, he left his room and was greeted to the silence of his home. Silence he remembered from those days of solitude. Days he hated. This was a different silence though. This was a peaceful silence. Content.

He headed down the hall and walked down the stairs. He stopped however when he heard something suspicious. It sounded like laughter. Walking into the living room, all the lights were off and it didn't seem like anyone was here. He continued on, trusting his ears to follow the sound and sure enough he was heading for the kitchen. He stopped on his way, right next to the back door. Outside in the backyard, his dad and his sister.

Himawari had her arms wrapped around his neck and the rest of her body hung down limply. Naruto's arms were wrapped tightly around her frame as he swayed back and forth to the silent music of the wind. Boruto smiled at the scene and was about to continue on his way. He didn't want to interrupt their moment together, but his dad spotted him.

He smiled his way and waved him over, drawing Himawari's attention from the lack of that extra arm warmth.

"Boruto!" Himawari called out happily. Naruto squatted down, letting her feet hit the ground. She did not release his neck.

When he made it to the two, he was pulled into the little family hug of theirs and accepted the comfort. Like a domino effect, Himawari began crying at the beautiful moment making Boruto cry. Naruto smiled at the two and pulled them in closer. As if he heard a whisper, he pulled his head up and looked towards the porch. There she was again. Hinata, standing in her white dress with that small smile resting on her face. Naruto smiled again and rubbed Boruto's head. "We'll be ok." He said as he shut his eyes. When he opened them again, she was gone. It was just the three of them… and things would be fine.

* * *

 **AN: There it is. I don't know about this one. It's alright I guess. The action is pretty weak as I was more focused on the dramatic aspect of it, but I think it worked alright for the most part. If you enjoyed it, thank you for reading, if not still, thank you for reading. It was fun to write at the very least.**

 **If you are at all interested, I am currently writing a true Naruto Horror fic. Meaning ghosts, demons, exorcisms, and crazed cults! Disturbed back stories and fantastic character use and of course!... a kick ass Naruto. If you are interested at all, review and let me know. I've already got the pilot chapter pretty much ready, so if enough people want to read it, I'll post it within the week. If not, I'll hold off on it and most likely post it on Halloween night. Nevertheless, I will be doing it! Stick around if you dare…**


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